


When I See Your Face

by tessiee19



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:21:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 56,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28553796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tessiee19/pseuds/tessiee19
Summary: The first Pitch Perfect movie, but with a different twist and some extra stuff. What if Chloe and Beca actually did end up together?Beca arrived at Barden University, she didn't want to go at all, but her opinion on it changed once she met a stunning redhead. She ended up joining an acapella group she didn't want to join at first. Will everything go well, or will there be troubles on her journey?
Relationships: Chloe Beale & Beca Mitchell, Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Beca's dad stopped the car in front of Barden University and looked at Beca. She was staring in front of her but she knew that her dad was looking at her. She turned her head and frowned. 

,,Why are you looking at me like that?" Her dad smiled at her and unbuckled his seatbelt. 

,,You'll be fine Becs. I'm sure. I'm proud of you." 

Beca smiled as well, for the first time today. She opened the door and grabbed the boxes. It was too much to bring to her dorm alone. She didn’t look forward to this at all. 

,,I'll help you." Her dad grabbed a few boxes and walked out in front of her. 

Beca followed him and looked around. It was clear that a lot of new people arrived here, and were talking to other students, to get more information about anything really. Beca saw a girl approach her, with a big smile, clearly enthusiastic enough. 

,,Hi, welcome to the Barden University! What dorm?" 

~~~~~ 

Beca was relieved that the girl had stopped talking, it felt like she was talking for hours. She was nice, but too enthusiastic. Beca doesn’t really like that, especially not when she’s in a bad mood. 

Her and her dad walked through the hallways and eventually they found the dorm. The door was closed, Beca grabbed her new key to open the door. 

The dorm looked pretty great. Enough space for two. 

There was another girl in the room unpacking her stuff. Beca walked toward her and greeted her. ,,Hi, I'm Beca." She sticks out her hand but the girl just looked at her without saying a thing. Beca lowered her hand awkwardly and turned around to unpack her own stuff. She shot a look at her dad. 

,,Thanks for helping me dad. I'll see you soon." She hugged him quickly, she felt like a little child hugging her dad. She didn’t like moments like these, in which her dad can embarrass her. 

He ruffled her hair before turning to leave. 

,,Good luck Becs. And have fun." 

,,Yeah, yeah. Bye." Her dad closed the door behind him and Beca heard him walking away. A sigh of relief escaped from her mouth. She walked toward her desk immediately and grabbed her laptop to install everything on her desk. Everything started up, so meanwhile she unpacked her other stuff. 

,,I'm Kimmy Jin." Beca turned her head to look at the girl who just introduced herself after ten minutes. 

,,Nice to meet you." Beca tried to be nice but Kimmy Jin didn’t say anything back. Really? She'll be done soon if Kimmy Jin keeps doing this. Beca grabs her laptop and starts playing music as soon as she's done unpacking. Time to relax for a bit. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca woke at the sound of students walking through the hallway. She fell asleep while listening to her music. The ride really hasn’t been tiring, but she didn’t know what it is. Her music wasn’t boring either. 

Beca looked around and Kimmy Jin wasn't in the dorm anymore. Rubbing her eyes, Beca walked toward the window. Music was blasting and she heard people talking and singing along with the lyrics of a song. 

,,I guess I’m gonna take a look." She said to herself. 

Beca got up and stretched her arms. She opened the door and a few guys were standing in the hallway just a few meters from Beca's dorm. 

,,Heya cutie. Want a drink?" The guy winks and grins after. ,,Just kidding. Are you new here?" 

,,I'm not cute. And yep I’m new here." Beca walked backwards and turned at the end of the hallway. The guys sipped their drinks and turned back. Beca rounded the corner and shook her head at them. She exited the building and walked toward the crowd. Alone. 

Beca saw Kimmy Jin with her friends and she didn't want to be with them, so she decided to be alone. A guy passed by and handed Beca a drink. She clasped her hands around the drink and smelled it. This is probably strong. Beca didn’t care, took a big sip of her drink and regretted it immediately. Her face expression changed and she suddenly heard someone laughing, the sound louder than the music itself. 

,,Careful there. Do you want some beer?" A girl stood next to her and offered her red cup. Beca waved it off. ,,No, thanks. I'm good." 

,,You sure?" 

,,Yeah." 

Beca took another sip of her drink and her face expression changed once again. She can handle alcohol pretty well, but this one is an exception. 

,,Why the rush?" The girl asked once again. Beca didn't even know her name. Beca shrugged. ,,Dunno. Just don't want to go to college." 

The girl next to her stared at her and started laughing again. ,,Well, what else are you gonna do? Main reason I'm here is the guys. There's a lot of hot guys here." 

Beca looked at the girl next to her. ,,Like that's a good reason..." 

,,It is! That's the best thing about college. Too bad I don't share a dorm with a cute guy." Beca shaked her head and smiled. This girl is crazy. 

,,I'm Fat Amy by the way." 

Beca frowned and was a little bit afraid to ask her this question. 

,,You call yourself 'Fat Amy'?" 

Fat Amy shrugged her shoulders and sighed. 

,,Yeah." 

,,Why would you do that?" 

,,So twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back. What's your name?" 

,,I'm Beca." Beca chuckled and then shook her head at Amy’s serious face expression. 

,,See you later Beca! I'm gonna go over there." Fat Amy pointed to a group of people and danced toward them weirdly. Beca turned around and decided to leave. She didn't know anyone here. Kimmy Jin and Fat Amy were the only ones she knew. And they were both with other people. Beca walked back toward her dorm. It was quite late and she felt exhausted. She locked the door behind her and let herself fall on her bed, and her eyes drifted to sleep. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca hit the snooze button on her alarm and grunted. She pulled her blanket over her head. She didn't want to get up but then she heard people outside, talking. Beca got curious and walked toward the window. There were stalls everywhere, and a lot of students were walking around. Is this the activity fair she heard people talk about? 

It's only day two and it seems like partying is a big thing here. Beca likes it, but it’s something she’ll have to get used to. Rolling her eyes, she walked toward her closed and grabbed the stuff she needed. 

Beca got dressed and walked outside to see what it is exactly. The weather was great. Some people were cleaning up the mess from yesterday but the most people were walking around at the activity fair. Talking and laughing. Getting more information about the things that interested them. 

,,Hey Beca! You got a hangover?" Beca looked around and saw Fat Amy walking toward her. She smiled and greeted Fat Amy. 

,,Hey, no. You?" 

Fat Amy bursts out laughing and punches Beca's arm. ,,Of course not! I really have to watch out for the bad guys at campus. You can't watch out for them if you're drunk. I just had a few drinks yesterday." 

,,Okay. So what can we do here?" Beca looked around and started walking, rubbing her arm, because Fat Amy punched her too hard for her liking. Fat Amy started walking with her. 

,,I have no idea. Probably a sorority thing. Do you want to join a sorority?" 

Beca shrugged her shoulders. 

,,I don't know yet. I just got here." 

,,So? That's not a good answer! Stop making excuses Beca!" Amy put her hands on her hips and shook her head. Beca decided to call her Amy from now on. Fat Amy doesn’t sound appropriate to her. 

,,I don't even have time for a sorority." 

,,Why not?" 

,,I'm busy working on my music." 

Amy frowned. ,,Music?" 

Beca nodded. ,,Yeah. I want to be a producer but my dad wants me to be here. He said 'It will be fun'." 

,,He is right. You should listen to your dad. But you the best thing about being here is the hot guys, still. Beca I’m not trying to convince you. I’m just speaking the truth. You can’t deny it." 

Beca shook her head and chuckled. No way, that was DEFINITELY one of the reasons she didn’t want to be here. She was not interested in them at all.   
Beca had a lot of friends who were boys, but nothing more. Yes, she had been kissed by a lot of different boys but she didn’t like it at all. She had also been kissed by girls. She was quite the popular one in high school, but she didn’t care. No one interested her. The only love she had, was her love for music. She had slept with girls and a lot of them wanted more, but Beca always avoided more. She didn’t want to be in a relationship, she wasn’t planning on, and she didn’t like to be in the spotlights. The spotlights as in, being popular. Or whenever a lot of people look at her. 

They both continued walking and passed a lot of stalls. There were a lot of different stalls. Beca was actually bored, but tried to be nice because Amy actually enjoyed it. They just passed a stall where two girls were standing and Amy stopped walking. 

,,Good singers? What?" Amy probably heard them talking about something. Beca grunted and looked up in the air, cursing quietly with her eyes closed. Amy started talking to the girls. 

,,Hi! Can you sing?" 

,,Yeah." Amy said, with a lot of confidence. 

,,Can you read music?" 

,,Yeah." 

,,Can you match pi-" 

,,Come on, Amy. Let's go." Beca eyed the two girls for a second, one was a redhead and the other one was blond. The blond one narrowed her eyes and shot Beca a death glare. Beca didn’t know why the blond one did that. Singing just didn’t interest her. Beca didn’t understand why she couldn’t share her opinion like that. She didn’t want to beat around the bush. 

The redhead exchanged a look with the blond one for a second. 

,,Aca-excuse me?" The blond put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes once again. 

,,Yeah, sorry. We got to go." 

,,No, we don't. Beca, this is my chance on a successful career!" Amy said through gritted teeth. The two girls kept looking at Beca and Amy. 

,,Why do we have to go?" Amy asked Beca. 

,,Well, you could stay here, but I'm gonna go. I need to work on my next track." Beca turned and walked away, but a sweet, friendly voice stopped her. 

,,Wait. You like music as well?" The redhead looked at her with a big smile. 

Beca turned around. ,,Yeah. I want to be a producer." 

,,Can you sing?" 

Beca laughed. ,,No. I'm not a good singer. I don't even sing." 

,,Just sing anything. We need eight girls to join our group and you two are the first ones to actually stop by and listen to what we have to say about our group. Interest in music is a must, maybe you two could join us." 

Beca looked up and saw the name of the group. 'Barden Bella's'? That's a weird name. Her eyebrows formed into a frown and she looked back at the two girls, who were now looking at her. Beca was pretty sure they could read her thoughts. 

,,Why are you looking at the name like that?" 

,,Nothing. What kind of group are you?" 

,,Acapella. We don't use instruments, it's all from our mouths." The redhead said, and pointed to her mouth. 

Beca just smiled sarcastically and turned. ,,Yikes. Thanks for asking, but I'm not interested." 

They decided not to respond and Beca walked away, leaving Amy behind. See? This is one of the reasons she doesn’t like this. She'll be in the spotlights, if she ever decides to join this group. Definitely not her thing. 

She walked toward a coffee stand and bought a cup of coffee. After that she walked toward a park bench and just sat there. A random guy plopped down next to her. Beca looked aside and moved because the guy was sitting way too close to her, in her opinion. 

,,Hey! I saw you yesterday evening in the dorm hallway!" 

Beca sipped her drink and frowned, and leaned back at the bench. ,,That's possible. And have you ever heard of something called space? You're sitting quite close to me, dude." 

That was the last thing she said. The guy stares at her with a grin spread all over his face. 

,,What?" Beca got a bit annoyed. There was a guy next to her who she didn’t know, and he kept staring at her with this creepy grin. 

,,Nothing! You just seem like a nice girl." Beca smiled in front of her and shook her head. ,,You don't know me." 

,,It'd be nice to get to know you better." 

Beca looked at the guy next to her. ,,I don’t think so." Beca stood up and started walking toward her dorm, the guy keeping up with her. 

,,Can I at least get a name?" 

,,Beca." 

,,I'm Jesse." 

Beca shot him a small smile and almost reached her dorm, when Amy ran toward her. 

,,Beca! I am going to do audition for the Barden Bellas!" 

,,Yay." Beca said sarcastically, and Amy was not surprised. 

,,Ah come on Beca! You want it too, you're just too shy!" 

Beca chuckled and walked toward her dorm. Amy followed her. ,,Me, shy? No way. It's just a really girly thing and I'm not girly." 

,,Okay. Well, at least I'm happy that I can do audition. I'm a good dancer as well, so that's a plus." 

,,Mhm." Beca turned around and waited for Amy to leave. She thought that waiting in front of her dorm would be a good hint to her. 

,,I'm gonna look for the guys." 

,,What guys?" 

,,The Treblemakers." 

,,The what? What's that?" Beca frowned. ,,Another acapella group here. They're really hot. One of them is pretty annoying but hot as well." 

Beca started laughing. ,,Man, you're really into all of these guys here." 

,,Yeah. That’s why I gotta go. I'll see you later." 

Beca closed the door behind Amy shaking her head, and grabbed a drink. She opened her laptop and shut it on. Time to work on her next track. Kimmy Jin opened the door and entered the room as well, and she looked at Beca with her annoyed face expression as usual. But she was not boring this time. ,,How was the activity fair? Did you find anything nice?" 

Beca was surprised that Kimmy Jin actually talked to her. She turned in her chair and answered the question. 

,,No, I thought it was boring. I was with a girl I met yesterday, she found something nice. An 'acapella' group or something. The girls from that group also wanted me to sing something for them but I'm not going to join them. I don't have time. Did you find something?" 

Kimmy Jin nodded and grabbed a book. ,,Yeah. I want to join the Korean Student Association." 

,,Oh, you were just talking at their stall with a few friends right? I thought I saw you." 

Kimmy Jin nodded and started reading her book. ,,Yes that’ possible. I’ve been there the whole time." 

Beca looked outside once again and saw the sun shining through the window. It was actually perfect to be outside. ,,I’m gonna go outside and make music there. I’ll see you later.’’ She grabbed her laptop and went outside. It was already getting a bit late and some people were already closing off their stalls. Beca found a free spot in the grass and sat down. She put her headphones on and rested her back against a tree. With her eyes closed, she was able to relax right away, listening to the music. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca woke up when someone tapped her shoulder. It startled her, and her eyes shot open. The redhead from the 'Barden Bellas' stood next to her with a wide grin spread on her face. Beca stopped the music and took off her headphones. 

,,Hi? Can I help you?" Beca didn't really know what to say. She already told the girl that she didn't want to join them. 

,,Hi! I have a question. Are you sure you don't want to join us? We need more people to audition for the Bellas. You should join us!" The girl was pretty convinced that she wanted Beca to join. 

,,You don't even know what my voice sounds like. Why would you want me to join? There’s so many people to choose from. So many people are more interested than I am." Beca had a questioning face expression, she was a bit confused. 

,,You are a pretty girl! You should join us!" Beca didn't believe that someone actually said something like that to her. Maybe it was a trick to get her to audition. It's about the voice anyways, right? She thought Chloe just wanted to convince her. 

,,I don't know. It's just so girly, and I'm not girly at all." 

,,That's okay. You could try and come to the auditions." The girl stretched her arm and handed Beca a piece of paper with a date, time and place on it. Beca looked at it and put it in her pocket, looking up at the redhead. ,,I need to think about it. But thanks." 

,,No problem. What's your name?" 

,,Beca Mitchell." 

The redhead smiled once again, she actually never stopped smiling. 

,,Chloe Beale." 

Beca looked past Chloe and saw the blond one looking at them from a distance, with her arms crossed. Beca didn't quite know what that look meant. 

,,Okay, so I'll see you there." Chloe turned and walked away. Beca never had the chance to agree or to disagree. It felt like Chloe already made the choice, but Beca needed to think. 

,,Maybe." Beca stood up and walked toward her dorm, it was time to go anyway. Chloe was a nice girl, she thought. The blonde one was not in a good mood. Maybe because of what Beca said earlier? 

The day was actually boring and passed quickly because Beca had to go to the Radio station. Someone offered her an internship there before she got here, and she was excited about it right away. She stood up and practically ran toward the Radio station, once it was time for her to start. She was a bit late, of course because she fell asleep. There was a guy inside the small office, and opened the door. 

,,Are you Beca, the intern?" 

,,Yeah." She said, nodding her head. The guy was a bit annoyed because she was late. ,,I'm Luke, you're late." 

Luke explained everything and Beca brought an USB-stick with her music on it. ,,This is my music. Maybe you could listen to it sometime. It'd be great if you would play my tracks." 

Luke looked at the USB and tossed it in a drawer full of USB-sticks. ,,I'll see what I can do. Oh, and that's our other intern. No sex on the desk please." Beca rolled her eyes and looked the direction where the intern was. Oh no. She knew that guy. She saw him today at the park bench. His name was Jesse... Right? 

Jesse just looked her direction and his face lit up. ,,Hey Beca! Do you work here?" He stopped with whatever he was doing and his attention was all toward Beca. ,,Just internship." 

,,That's work as well." 

,,And you?" 

,,I'm an intern as well. I really love stacking CD's." Jesse said sarcastically, and he put a CD at the shelf in front of him. Beca shook her head at that and helped him with the CD's. Luke’s action kind of offended her. He reacted to her music as if it’s nothing. Maybe Beca felt a bit too proud of her own music. 

This was going to be a long first day.


	2. Chapter 2

They talked for a while and Jesse flirted with her. Beca didn't flirt back, she just acted normally. Jesse wanted to watch a movie with her, but Beca was not sure yet. She didn't even know him and she hated movies. And besides that, she wasn’t interested in him at all. Yes, he could be her friend if he’s lucky, but nothing more. 

He also told her that he is going to audition for the Treblemakers. He told her that they are the rivals of the Barden Bellas. Apparently there's also two other acapella groups on campus but they are not that popular. Jesse already knew the Barden Bellas. He told her that they always sing the same songs. If that's really true, Beca doesn't even know if she wants to do audition anymore. She didn’t even have time to think about that yet. She'll ask Chloe about that later. Or maybe the blond girl. She looked like the leader of the group, and Chloe might be the co-leader or something? She wasn’t sure. All she knew is that the other girl looked more like a strict type. Bossy. Chloe seemed like a sweet type. Beca waved Jesse goodbye, who had to do some more things. 

A week later and Beca was getting ready in her room, standing in front of the mirror. Ten minutes until she had to be there. Beca stood up, grabbed her jacket and went to the auditions anyway. Just to take a look. 

She could her people singing from a distance, when she entered the building. 'Since you been gone'? That's the song she heard right? Beca continued walking and reached a door. She saw people looking at their paper, with the lyrics of the song on it. What they just did was rehearsing, they didn't do audition yet. 

,,One more minute!" The blond Bella-leader shouted. The redhead's face scanned the people who were about to do audition. She frowned a little and looked at her paper. ,,Aubrey, Beca didn't show up." The singers went to silent in a split second, and eyed the leaders. 

,,Who?" The blond girl, named Aubrey looked at the paper and frowned. 

,,Beca didn't show up." 

,,Who's Beca?" The blond one clearly didn't know who Chloe was talking about. 

,,The dark haired girl we met at the activity fair yesterday." 

The people on the stage started talking to each other and the leaders were talking to each other at the same volume. Beca could hear what they were talking to each other about. Amy looked around and saw a group of guys sitting somewhere in the back of the room. Are they the Treblemakers? They were sitting, actually lying in their seats, with their feet resting on the backrests of the chairs in front of them. 

Amy then looked aside and saw Beca standing at the side of the stage. ,,Beca? You're here!" Amy hurried toward Beca. Beca startled and wanted to go. This was not for her. Maybe she shouldn’t have come here. 

,,Yeah. I'm too late anyways. I think I should go." Beca turned and walked away, still not sure if she wanted to join the group or not. She will be very busy, also with this internship going on. Being in a acapella group might be too much. 

,,What?! Beca, come on!" Amy said, and decided to give up trying, because it’s always clear for others to see what Beca wants. And this time it was clear that Beca didn’t want it. 

Beca continued walking but she walked slowly, there was no need to rush. 

She suddenly heard someone running and they grabbed her wrist. Beca tensed and turned around. Chloe was standing in front of her. ,,You're really here!" She hugged Beca and Beca hugged her back awkwardly. 

,,Why are you leaving?" 

,,I don’t think I have enough time. I got an internship at the radio station as well. And I'm late." 

Chloe's mouth was slightly agape. 

,,Oh! Well, that's okay. Just do audition, please. You agreed to do it." Chloe put on her best smile and her puppy eyes, and Beca smiled as well. It felt more like a forced smile. She didn’t agree to this, but she wanted to get it over with. She hesitated for a moment and then sighed. ,,Alright then. But I'm a bit late, I don't know what I should sing." 

,,Since you been gone. We have a few lyrics left, you can have those. No one wanted the bridge so you have to do it." Chloe smiled and gestured for Beca to follow her back to the stage. Beca couldn't hide a small nervous smile, but she was not sure if she could sing that part. Chloe really wanted her to join. She went back to sit next to Aubrey and Beca joined the others on the stage. They stepped back to make some space. 

,,Okay, tell me something about yourself. Everyone told something about themselves earlier and now is your turn." The blond said. Beca looked at the others and they were all looking at her, waiting for an answer. 

,,Um... I'm Beca Mitchell, and I like music. I actually want to be a music producer but my dad wants me to be here. I work as an intern at the school's radio station. And I can't sing." 

,,Huh? But this is a singing audition!" 

Beca nodded at the girl who just said that. ,,I know. But Chloe wants me to do audition." Chloe showed a shy smile and nods. ,,Okay! Let's go! Start the music!" The blond one named Aubrey said, and leaned back in her chair. Chloe leaned back as well and her eyes scanned the girls on the stage. They started singing and they were all so different. One was touching herself all the time, the other one had a powerful voice, Amy wanted backup dancers and showed her best... Everyone was so different. But Beca was just standing there and she almost had to sing her part. She is usually not a shy person, but didn’t like singing in front of a crowd. Other problem is, she had to sing the bridge of the song. The girl before her nearly finished her part and looked at Beca just before she had to start. Beca looked down for a second and then started singing, with power in her voice, surprising everyone.

'You had your chance, you blew it. Out of sight, out of mind. Shut your mouth I just can't take it. Shut your mouth I just can't take it. Again, and again, and again, and again!’ 

Beca looked at Chloe and Aubrey for a second while she was singing. Chloe was shocked, her mouth was agape and her eyes were wide. She looked at Aubrey for a second but Aubrey kept her eyes on the stage. Aubrey wasn’t even shocked at all, it just looked like she was thinking. 

Some others ended the song and Chloe and Aubrey both wrote down some things. ,,Okay, you all can wait in the waiting room. Someone will send you back here one by one." 

Beca and the others left the stage. 

,,Stacie, you can stay here. You're the first one." 

Everyone waited in the waiting room in silence. It was a big group, around 16 people and they only need 8. That means that 8 of them will have to leave...   
Time passed and Beca was bored and about to leave. She was sure that Chloe would tell her if she was chosen or not, afterwards. She'll just tell them that she has a doctor's appointment or something. 

,,Beca Mitchell?" A young guy guided everyone to the stage, one by one. Some of them came back with a smile on their face and some of them looked sad. Beca stood up and sighed. She was actually nervous for it. Who ever thought she'd be nervous? 

Beca followed the guy to the stage. ,,Good luck." 

,,Thanks." The guy went back to the waiting room and Beca stood in front of Chloe and Aubrey, waiting for their opinion. They looked at her in silence and Aubrey was tapping a pencil against the table, with her eyes narrowed. 

,,Honestly Beca... Why did you tell us you couldn't sing? That's not true. You were far by far the best of all these girls." Chloe leaned forward in her seat and tilted her head to the side. Beca smiled at Chloe. Then Aubrey started talking. 

,,Chloe is right. You are a good singer. You can be one of the 8 Bellas if you want to. We do want you to." 

,,Yes Beca! We need you in our team." Chloe was very convinced and Aubrey was too, but she was just not as enthusiastic as Chloe was. 

,,The initiation party is tonight. We expect you in the park at 7." 

Beca nodded and really couldn't hide a smile. Maybe it will be just a little bit nice after all. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca and Amy decided to go to the initiation party together, because they already knew each other. Beca went to Amy's dorm this time, and Amy was almost done getting ready. 

,,I can't wait to go there... We will be surrounded by the Treblemakers..." Amy looked up and blinked at the ceiling. She was clearly thinking about them. Beca raised one eyebrow and looked at Amy, until Amy's thoughts got interrupted by a sound coming from outside. 

,,We are the kings of campus!" They both walked toward the window and already saw a lot of people who were ready to party. Beca recognized the guy who just said that, he stood on a stone bench and everyone ignored him. Amy was looking at Beca from the side. ,,Do you know him?" 

Beca nodded and her eyes never left the guy. ,,That's Jesse, I met him at the activity fair. He told me he’d audition for the Treblemakers, but I think he joined them for real." 

Amy chuckled. ,,Alright lovebird, let's go party." 

Beca followed Amy out of the dorm and shook her head. 

After only a couple minutes walking, they reached the party and Amy turned to Beca. 

,,I'm gonna get us a drink. I'll be right back." Amy walked away, dancing to the beat of the music. Beca was left alone and she felt pretty awkward. She thought about her dad. She forgot to tell him about her day. She thought her dad would be proud if he heard about this. Now, don’t get sentimental, Mitchell. 

First, Beca wanted to produce music and she was actually kind of pissed that she had to go here. Now she's about to join a very girl-ish acapella group, which was not her thing at all, she thought. Beca had no idea if she would like it here, if these girls were nice or not. Of course she couldn't know if it was going to be nice, but she thought so. She knew at least two girls, Amy and Chloe. And they were both nice. 

Beca had no idea about Aubrey. Is she nice or not? Is she just testing her by being very serious or is she always like that? She didn't know just yet. Beca decided to just enjoy the moment here, and think about everything later. She planned on calling her dad the next morning. Next thing she saw was a redhead who ran into her direction and grabbed her hands. 

,,Hi!" With that she pulled Beca close to her, their faces only inches apart. Beca didn't see this coming and tensed. Chloe seemed not to notice and continued saying whatever she was saying. 

,,I'm so glad that I met you... I think that we're gonna be really fast friends." Beca relaxed a little and smiled. ,,Yeah, I think you're right." Chloe let go of her hands and plopped down on the stone bench. She patted the spot next to her and Beca sat down next to her. 

,,So, what do you think?" Beca glared at Chloe and wondered what she meant. ,,About the Bellas?" 

Chloe nodded heavily and turned to Beca, waiting for an answer. Beca didn't really know what to say. 

,,I guess they are pretty nice." 

Chloe chuckled. ,,I hope so. It's weird to choose 8 new girls for our group. The other ones graduated last year and left, I really hope that we're gonna be a good team. This group is my life." She sighed and she was clearly nervous. Chloe quickly turned to Beca and showed a smile. ,,Can I get you a drink?" 

,,Thanks, but Amy's already getting a drink for herself and for me. I think she got distracted by the Treblemakers, though. She left 10 minutes ago." Chloe's smile disappeared and she suddenly looked shocked. ,,Oh no. Oh nononono. She shouldn't get distracted. Aubrey's gonna kick her out of the group if that happens." 

,,What do you mean?" Beca really didn't know what she exactly meant by this. 

,,We - as Bellas - can't have a relationship with a Treblemaker." 

,,Why not?" 

Chloe shrugged. ,,That's just the rules. It's an oath. And Aubrey is pretty strict about those. Aubrey and I will tell you all the rules, tomorrow." 

Beca's eyes went wide and she scanned the crowd. Amy was nowhere to be seen. ,,I'm gonna look for her before Aubrey sees anything." She rushed toward the crowd and left Chloe behind. Beca really didn't want to be in the group without Amy. Just because she knew her. It'd be great to be in the group with Chloe but maybe a little bit awkward with everyone else. Amy made everything less awkward already, with her craziness.   
Beca pushed herself through everyone in hope to find Amy. She saw two Treblemakers who were talking to Amy. She noticed that Aubrey was keeping an eye on Amy from a distance. Beca hurried toward Amy and dragged her away. 

,,Beca?! I'm in the middle of something here! Are you being serious?" Amy pulled her hand back and wanted to go back when Beca stopped her. 

,,Amy, you need to watch out with these guys. Chloe just told me -" 

,,Chloe probably just wants them for herself." Amy got snarky and one of the guys she was talking with, was coming their way. Beca turned to the brown haired guy. 

,,Wow wow wow... Bitch fight?" The guy started laughing and Beca and Amy both looked at him, annoyed. He put his hands up in the air in surrender and walked away. Amy turned to Beca and folded her arms. ,,What did you want to say?" 

,,Amy, look at Aubrey. Does she look like the ruler type?" 

Amy looked at her for a second and then nodded. 

,,Then listen to me Amy. Chloe knows Aubrey very well. Who knows how long they've known each other? Aubrey is going to kick you out of the group if you get distracted by these guys too much." 

Amy's eyes shot to the brown-haired guy for a second. ,,Bumper is just a friend... And what do you mean by distracted?" 

,,Chloe means you can't have a relationship with a Treblemaker, otherwise Aubrey will kick you out of the group. Do you remember how badly you wanted to be in this group? Just warning you. Don't ruin this." Beca took steps back and then turned around. 

,,Thanks. I'll try to be careful." Amy nodded and then walked back to Bumper.   
,,Whatever.’’ Beca said to herself and walked back. She had no idea what Amy was up to but whatever it was, Beca wasn’t going to stop her. 

Beca turned back and Chloe was still sitting on the stone bench. Beca walked toward Chloe, and Chloe smiled. 

,,What did she say?" 

,,She'll try to be careful. Thanks for telling me." 

Chloe shrugged. ,,I have to tell all of you guys. I don't know why that rule is here, it's your own choice after all..." 

Beca just looked at her hands and fumbled with her coat zipper. 

,,I got you a drink." Beca looked up and saw Jesse standing in front of her. 

,,Oh, thanks." Beca accepted the drink gratefully and took a sip. Jesse just stood there and eyed Chloe for a second. 

,,So, how are you two holding up?" 

,,Great! You?" Chloe was being enthusiastic and took a sip of her own drink. 

,,Great as well, thanks. I really like being a part of the group now." 

,,That's great." Jesse then looked at Beca and Beca cleared her throat. 

,,I'm uh, good as well. I think the group is nice." 

Jesse nodded with a big smile. ,,I hope so for you." 

Beca nodded once again and looked away. Chloe and Jesse were looking at each other awkwardly and Jesse slowly walked away. ,,Have fun." 

,,You too." Chloe said, and turned to Beca to whisper. 

,,Are you in love with a Treble as well?" Beca turned her face toward Chloe and hissed. ,,What? No! And ‘as well?’ What do you mean? Are you in love with a Treble?" 

,,Why were you so awkward then? And NO, but I’m pretty sure Amy is…" 

,,Because he's kind of flirting with me and I'm not interested. Chloe, I can't be with him anyway." 

,,So you actually want to be with him? You really have to watch out -" 

,,Chloe, I know. But I don't want to be with him. Believe me. Just saying." Beca raised her hands. 

Chloe looked pretty serious and shrugged her shoulders. ,,If you say so..." 

Beca let out a sigh and sipped her drink once again. Chloe means well, but it's really not like that. 

,,Come on Becs, let's have some fun." Chloe pulled Beca up and basically dragged her toward the dancing crowd. No one ever calls her Becs except for her dad and some of her friends from high school. 

'But you gotta keep your head up, oh 

And you can let your hair down, eh 

You gotta keep your head up, oh, 

And you can let your hair down, eh' 

The whole crowd was singing and Chloe and Beca joined the dancing Bellas. Amy was not there. Beca scanned the crowd and saw Amy who was standing on two stone benches, and dancing alone. It seemed like she didn't mind, because she was singing along with the lyrics. 

Aubrey also joined the Bellas and danced with her arm around Chloe's shoulders. Beca was standing there and sipping her drink and caught Cynthia Rose looking at Stacie's breasts. Beca almost burst out laughing and then someone whispered in her ear. 

,,We are with ten girls, that means at least one of us is a lesbian." 

Beca turned and chuckled at what Amy said. ,,How was Bumper?" 

,,How was Bumper?! Nothing happened!" Beca raised one eyebrow. ,,What? Really!" Amy said, and shook her head. 

,,Alright, alright relax! Sorry." Beca put her hands up in surrender and laughed. 

,,It's okay Beca." Amy and Beca continued dancing with everyone else and before Beca knew it, someone handed her a drink. Chloe put her arm around Beca's shoulders and raised her cup. ,,Cheers to the best time of your life." 

Beca raised her cup as well and smiled as Chloe winked and sipped her drink. 

,,To the best time of my life, I guess." 

Beca sipped her drink as well and they all danced to the music, starting a new chapter in her life as an acapella singer.


	3. Chapter 3

It was getting late and some people already went back to their dorms. 

,,Bellas! Tomorrow rehearsal at 8am!" Aubrey made sure everyone heard that and then they all went back to their dorms. 

Amy walked next to Beca and whispered in Beca's ear to make sure Aubrey didn't hear it. ,,I can't believe we can't be with a Treble! Maybe we should try and change the rule, you want to be with Jesse right?" Beca frowned at Amy. ,,No way Amy!" 

,,Ah come on, I saw the way you two were looking at each other!" 

,,I'm awkward when I'm around him, Amy. And I don't know him. And besides that, I’m NOT interested in him." Beca continued walking and Amy did too. ,,That’s what you say. But I think it’s completely different. You’re just too afraid to admit that you fell for him already. It's okay.’’ 

Oh gosh, Amy wouldn’t shut up about it. Beca could never convince her. They reached their own dorms and said goodbye. Beca changed and let herself fall on her bed. What a day. The Bellas are actually nice, Beca thought. She reminded herself to call her dad, who works at the university as well. She would do that tomorrow. It’s way too late now. And besides that, the alcohol kicked in pretty good. Her dad told her to have fun. So that’s what she tried to do. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca's alarm hurt her ears. She slammed it off and looked at the time. 7:30am. Only 30 minutes before Bellas rehearsal started. She got up quickly and did everything real quick. 

,,Ugh, why are you up this early..." Beca turned and noticed that Kimmy Jin woke up, and covered her head with her blanket. ,,Bellas rehearsal." 

,,Good luck with that." Kimmy Jin turned and Beca grabbed her stuff and left. 

She rushed toward the rehearsal studio and saw all Bellas there. She was the last one to arrive and put her bag on a chair. 

,,Am I late or something?" All Bellas stared at her when she arrived. Beca looked at the time and it was 7:55am. 

,,No. We were just waiting for you to arrive." Aubrey said, and took a swig of water. Chloe stood next to her, of course. Aubrey turned back to the group and folded her hands together. 

,,Welcome Bellas. Yesterday was great, but you all have to take an oath. You can fool around with whoever you want, as long as it’s not a Treble. They don't respect us." Beca looked at Amy for a second and Amy looked back, rolling her eyes. Aubrey didn't see that and continued talking. 

,,If you fool around with a Treble and we figure it out somehow, you'll get kicked out of the group." Aubrey gestured between Chloe and herself, showing what she meant by ‘we’. Beca was a bit confused to hear this. Is Chloe the type of person who told Aubrey about, for example, Amy and Bumper? Beca didn't know what happened between Amy and Bumper, maybe nothing happened at all. Beca told Chloe that Amy got distracted by Bumper though. Chloe didn’t tell Aubrey, right? It's just an oath that she can't take seriously. It's you own choice after all. Beca was very neutral. Why can’t they choose whoever they want to be with? It’s not like Aubrey is their mother. Beca was sure that she’d do whatever makes her happy. 

,,Am I clear, Beca?" Aubrey stood next to Beca and woke her up from her thoughts. ,,Crystal." She nodded and kept her mouth shut. Why did Aubrey ask her? Why her out of all people? 

Aubrey walked back to where she was standing first and she flipped the whiteboard. 

,,This is how we become champions." Everyone looked at the huge mindmap which covered almost the whole whiteboard. 

,,First, we're gonna run around for a while up the stairs, passing the back row and then going down again. With high heels on, because you all need to wear high heels on stage so you need to be able to walk properly." Most of the Bellas grunted. Chloe and Aubrey gestured for everyone to stand up. They let everyone choose a pair of high heels, and Beca approached Chloe. 

,,Hey. Can I talk to you for a second?" 

,,Sure!" Chloe responded with a cheery voice. Beca walked a few meters away from the group and Chloe followed. She turned and caught Aubrey staring at them for a second. Everyone else was complaining about having to run on high heels. 

,,Did you tell Aubrey about Amy and Bumper?" Beca whispered and Chloe's eyes went big immediately. 

,,No! Aubrey is just way too strict about it, I actually don't really like kicking people out of the group." 

,,But she said this as soon as she started talking. It sounded like she found out." 

Chloe softly shook her head as she looked at Beca. ,,She didn't. Otherwise she would have told me right away." 

,,Okay. You're not going to tell her, right?" 

,,I promise I won't tell her, Becs."   
,,Why don’t you tell her that you don’t like kicking people out of the group?’’ Beca asked her again, looking past Chloe to see Aubrey who was still looking at them and tapping her feet on the ground impatiently.   
,,Because Aubrey is the leader. I’m just the co-leader. I don’t have a say in anything that happens. Aubrey wants my opinion on things sometimes but she always does whatever she thinks it’s best anyway…’’ Chloe sighed. Beca wanted to respond but they got interrupted by Aubrey who was cheering on the other girls. They decided to go back and join the group again. Aubrey just stood there and kept shouting ,,Go go go!" 

Beca was in the middle of the line and was, to her own surprise, good at running with the heels on. Heels are not her thing at all. They all ran two circles and her legs started burning, but she continued and saw Amy laying on a few chairs and moving her feet as if she was walking. Aubrey approached her and asked her what she was doing. 

,,I'm doing horizontal running, Aubrey." 

All Bellas started laughing and after a few other rounds they stopped. Their feet hurt a lot, but they also laughed about Amy's horizontal running. 

,,Okay Bellas, take a seat." Everyone sat down and Chloe and Aubrey handed everyone a sheet with all songs they have performed. 

,,This is a list of all songs we've ever performed." Aubrey handed everyone a list and Beca looked at it. ,,There's nothing from this century." 

Aubrey felt a bit offended by that, and looked at Beca with an angry face expression, her eyes piercing through Beca’s. ,,That's because it's tradition." 

,,Well, maybe we should change it." 

,,We are not going to change it until I say so. It's not your decision to make. It’s mine." Aubrey pointed to herself and continued. ,,We will be singing 'The Sign' and 'Turn the beat around' at the Regionals. Chloe is going to take the solo." 

Chloe nodded and showed a small smile. 

,,From now on, we will be practicing the dance and singing every single day of the week, for at least two hours a day." 

,,And now Chloe and I will be showing you the dancing choreography." 

Aubrey started the music and they turned to the other Bellas. ,,We’re going to start in 3, 2, 1...’' Aubrey and Chloe turned around to the mirrors, so they were all facing the same direction. They both started dancing to just show the others, and most of the Bellas thought it was a bit boring. ,,I expected a better choreography." Beca whispered to Amy, who was right next to her. 

,,Me too. They should let me choose the choreography. I'm good at modern dance, olden dance and mermaid dancing." 

Beca chuckled. ,,Mermaid dancing? What is that?" 

,,You usually start on the ground." Aubrey and Chloe finished the dance and Amy stood up immediately to show her dancing. She sat down on the ground and showed her mermaid dancing.   
,,Amy, what are you doing?" Aubrey asked her, crossing her arms as always. 

,,Mermaid dancing." Amy said casually, like it’s something you see every single day. 

,,That looks odd." Aubrey said, and Chloe agreed. Beca thought it was funny and crazy. Less boring than Aubrey's choreography that’s for sure. But more original. 

,,Now, we will practice the choreography with you all." Everyone stood up and Aubrey and Chloe practiced with the other Bellas. 

It didn't go that well. Some of the Bellas didn't remember it, and some were not concentrated either. They were having a lot of fun, that’s for sure. 

,,Okay... Some of you are good at it and some are terrible. There are some parts that you have to do better than this and we will teach you how to, one by one. The regionals are in four months and we have to be ready for it. Stacie, you go first. Show me how you dance to this song and I'll tell you what to improve." Stacie followed her and started dancing to the music. ,,Lily, your turn." Chloe gestured for Lily to get up as well, this is probably gonna take a while. 

,,Hey Amy, what's your opinion on the set list?" 

,,I don't know. I think we need to update it, because the Bellas do the same thing every year. It's boring for the audience." 

Beca nodded and looked aside. Aubrey was still with Stacie. ,,I'm gonna ask Aubrey if we really can't change it. I mean come on, the audience wants to hear songs from this century!" She hissed again, and Amy nodded. ,,Yeah. But I think you won't have to ask her, because the answer will be no anyway." 

Beca shrugged her shoulders. ,,I could always ask. No risk taken is a no for sure." 

,,Beca, your turn!" Chloe said, and Beca walked toward her. They stood in front of the mirrors together, Chloe diagonally behind Beca. 

,,So Beca, show me what you just learned." 

Beca started dancing. She really didn't like this song and she was not a good dancer at all, but she tried to do her best. She was just not using her arms much, but you really needed them for this song. She did feel like she copied the dance just okay. 

,,No, you need to use your arms much more. Like this." Chloe stepped behind Beca and Beca looked in the mirror. Warm hands locked themselves around her hands and showed her how to use her hands while dancing to the song. 

'I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign.' 

Beca was not concentrated at all, she just looked at Chloe in the mirror. It looked like Chloe was proud to show her what to improve, seeing the look on her face. Chloe’s breath on Beca’s neck made her shiver, and Beca never stopped looking at Chloe through the mirror. Beca has never been distracted like she was in that moment. 

,,And you have to do this..." Chloe continued and she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. ,,I know, I can do it." Beca replied, taking her eyes of Chloe, making sure she won’t catch her staring. 

,,Okay." She said softly and let go of Beca's hands. Beca showed it once again, thought it was enough practicing and went back to her seat after that. The dance really wasn’t that hard. 

It actually went pretty quickly and the two hours were over. ,,Rehearsal tomorrow, at 8am." Aubrey said the same way she did the previous day. 

Everyone left and did whatever they were going to do. Beca decided to go to the radio station to do some things there. It would be a good thing to spend the rest of her morning there. Classes won’t start until 1pm.   
Chloe saw everyone leave and she and Aubrey were the only ones left in the studio. They both started cleaning up everything and Chloe looked at the whiteboard. Aubrey really made a huge mindmap. 

,,Are you okay there Chlo?" 

Chloe nodded and continued cleaning up. ,,Mhm. But maybe Beca is right. Aubrey, we always sing the same song, and the Trebles never sing the same song twice. They always win because they come up with new songs and new choreography." Aubrey spun around to face Chloe. 

,,Chloe, don't you understand me? It's my decision to make and Beca is new. She doesn't know anything about it. We're gonna have to stick with the old songs." 

Chloe got a little bit annoyed, she knew that Beca has a point. 

,,Aubrey, I am the co-leader and your best friend! Why can't we figure this out together?" 

,,Because I promised to stick with the old songs." 

Chloe let out a frustrated sigh and continued cleaning up. She hated this so much. She really liked being co-leader of this group, but Aubrey is too controlling. She wanted everything like she wanted it and no one could ever change anything. She decided to drop the subject for now. 

,,Wanna grab a drink around the corner?" Aubrey asked. 

,,Sure." Chloe followed Aubrey and they grabbed a drink in the cafeteria around the corner. 

Chloe thought about it and she was really happy with this group. These girls were all so nice, it would be nice to stay this way. Aubrey was a bit strict but the previous Bellas leader was the worst. Chloe is a really sweet, affectionate but sometimes over enthusiastic girl, but the previous leader treated her like they were better off without her. She can be really happy with Aubrey by her side though, because she knows that Aubrey will always be there for her. It's her best friend and she loves her for that. Aubrey wouldn’t kick her out like the previous leader would. It's just the performance stress and everything that makes her snarky. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca quickly dialed her dad's phone number. She was back in her dorm and the day passed quickly, she had been at the radio and at school for the rest of the day. She wanted to call her dad in the morning, but she ended up not having enough time. 

,,Hey Beca! Are you having fun?" 

,,Hey dad. Yeah, pretty much. It's nicer than I expected. I joined an acapella group and I got an internship at the radio station." 

,,That's great! So that's why you haven't called me... Well, at least you're having fun. That’s good to hear." 

Beca thought about the day. She was having fun. 

,,I actually like it here dad. But I still want to go to LA. My mind hasn’t changed and it won’t change." 

,,I know Becs. But you need to finish this first. What are the girls in the group like?" 

,,They are cool. Two of them are good friends already and I actually haven’t talked to most of them yet. The leader is too strict sometimes and I'm not sure what she thinks of me. I want to change the set list because I found out that they always sing the same songs." 

,,And how does she think about that?" 

,,She says that it's her decision to make and not mine, so she doesn't agree with me." 

,,Oh. Maybe she will think about it later." 

,,Yeah. Probably not. But the other groups on campus are more original. They have different songs and choreography in every single performance." 

,,I hope that the leader of your group will change her mind. And do you have any championships coming up or is this just for fun?" 

,,The regionals are in four months. I'm actually a bit nervous already." 

,,I'm sure you can do it Beca. You being nervous doesn’t sound like you, though." 

,,I know, but it’s new to me.’’ She fell back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. Her dad started laughing. ,,Relax. You can do it.’’ 

Beca and her dad talked on the phone for another hour. She opened the track she had been working on right after that, and continued working on it. It was almost done and Beca was really proud of it. She thought it was a great one. 

Beca was focused on her track and then someone knocked at her door and interrupted her. She wondered who that could be. She opened the door and it was Jesse, who looked at her with a big grin and a few DVD's in his hand. Beca wanted to open her mouth to say something but Jesse brushed past her and entered the dorm. 

,,Jesse, what are you doing here?" 

Jesse turned to her and then looked at her laptop, the music was still playing. Beca usually uses her headphones but Kimmy Jin wasn't there, so she decided to listen to her track without headphones. Sometimes she uses them for a better sound, but Jesse just walked in at the wrong moment. 

,,Wow Beca... That is amazing. I didn't expect you to be this good!" 

Beca smiled and shut her music off. ,,Gee, thanks. But I asked you what you were doing here?" 

Jesse turned to Beca and smiled. ,,We’re going to watch a movie together right now." 

,,And who says I want to?" Beca crossed her arms and cocked her eyebrow. 

,,Look, I know you hate movies, but I'm going to prove that the endings are the best part." Jesse plopped down on her bed and grabbed his laptop. Beca hesitated for a moment and then plopped down next to Jesse. Their shoulders were almost touching, and Beca actually didn't feel like watching a movie. Actually she never felt like watching movies. They just take too long and the endings are predictable. And besides that, Jesse probably thought that this was a date or something. 

,,What movie are we going to watch?’’ Jesse grabbed a DVD and covered the title with his hand, smiling at Beca who had a very bored look on her face already. ,,You should know what movie this is. Look at this.’’ He pointed at the cover and his smile left his face. ,,You’re not going to tell me you don’t know what movie this is.’’ Beca shook her head and sighed. ,,No idea.’’ 

Jesse covered his face with his hand and then revealed the title. ,,The Breakfast Club! You're seriously missing something... This is a famous one!’’ Beca shrugged her shoulders. ,,Yeah, okay.’’ Jesse shook his head and started getting ready for the movie he desperately wanted to watch. 

They were ten minutes into the movie and Beca was really bored, it felt like this movie was taking forever. Jesse looked at her from the side. ,,Are you okay?" 

,,Yeah. I just hate movies." 

,,Okay, then I'll show you the ending." 

Beca didn't even know what the movie was about. Jesse showed her the ending and told her what was so good about the movie. Beca just acted like she cared, but she really didn’t. She gave up pretending to like it almost right away. 

,,Jesse, sorry but you can't convince me that the ending is nice. I like working on my tracks and I don't like these kind of things." She gestured for the laptop and Jesse ignored her. Beca looked at Jesse and he was already staring at her. Why was he looking at her like that? Beca didn't break eye contact, she just stared at him and it looked like his face was coming closer to hers. 

Oh god, no. Beca noticed that Jesse looked down at her lips for a second, so she quickly turned her face away from him and stopped the movie. There was an awkward silence between them and it was obvious that Jesse felt awkward as well. He sighed and stood up. 

,,You really didn't like the ending?" 

,,Not really, actually." 

,,But this is the best movie ever! And the soundtrack is great as well!" Jesse smiled and grabbed his laptop. 

,,Well, I guess I -" Beca couldn't finish her sentence, she got interrupted by someone who was knocking at her door really loudly. Beca and Jesse were both surprised and Beca stood up to open the door. 

,,I have a big problem!" Amy stormed into her room and wanted to speak up, but stopped when she saw Jesse. Jesse looked at Beca and walked toward the door. 

,,I guess I'll see you later, Beca." 

,,See ya." Jesse closed the door behind him and Amy was really stressed, it almost looked like she had trouble breathing. 

,,I think I like Bumper." She looked like she had seen a ghost, her face was pale. 

,,Jesus Amy, why are you so stressed about that? It happens, you can't just change your feelings." 

,,Aubrey is going to kill me when she finds out." Amy sighed and let herself fall on Beca's bed, sighing dramatically and her arms spread out over the bed. ,,She doesn't have to find out, you just have to be sneaky enough. But why do you think you like him?" 

,,Because I just saw him outdoors and I have never felt what I just felt." 

Beca smiled and walked toward the window to see if he was still outdoors. He wasn't there anymore.   
,,Are you seriously checking if he's there?" 

,,Yeah." 

,,Oh and by the way, what was your boyfriend doing here?" Amy showed a mysterious grin. Beca rolled her eyes and sighed. ,,Stop saying that, he is not my boyfriend. We watched a movie. Well, he wanted to and I didn’t." 

Amy sat up immediately and rubbed her hands together. ,,A romantic one?" 

,,No, The Breakfast Club. We just watched the end and it was boring." 

,,So you didn't kiss?" 

,,No..." 

,,That's sad." 

,,Nope. He's a nice guy. I friend-zoned him." 

,,You officially did? Have you told him?" 

,,No, but he wanted to kiss me and I turned my face away from him." 

Amy stood up and the shock on her face returned. ,,You seriously did that, Beca?! This was your chance on some acapella magic between you two!" 

Beca started laughing sarcastically and suddenly stopped. ,,That is the worst thing I've ever heard." 

,,Alright, good night then. I'll see you tomorrow at rehearsal. I have to think about Bumper. Alone." Beca tried not to start laughing and watched Amy open the door and go through it. 

,,Okay, good night." Amy closed the door and Beca shut everything off before going to sleep as well.


	4. Chapter 4

Two months passed and the Bellas were working hard. They got more tired every day, but they hoped that it was all worth it. Aubrey was still stressed but Chloe was relaxed about it, as always. She thought everything was going to be fine. 

She was glad that she got the solo. Aubrey wanted her to do the solo, because Chloe was the right person for it. She is the person Aubrey really trusted with something like that. Aubrey always thought, you can't just let someone do the solo. 

Chloe and Aubrey were the first ones to arrive at the rehearsal studio. They had to prepare everything before everyone arrived. 

,,You know, I think we should all go out on dinner sometime. To get to know each other." Chloe really thought that was something important, but Aubrey rather wanted to focus on the Regionals. 

,,That's a good idea Chloe, but not yet. I'm gonna stress out if we don't pass the Regionals. My focus is all on that competition. We can't let the Trebles win, they don't deserve that. They always find a way to humiliate us." Aubrey got frustrated just by thinking about it. Chloe walked toward her and rubbed her back softly. ,,It's gonna be okay Aubrey, relax. Look what we already reached in two months. I know that the first few weeks were horrible, but it's much better now right?" Aubrey relaxed and nodded at Chloe. ,,You're right." Chloe smiled and continued preparing everything. Aubrey just said she was right. That never happens. 

They finished just in time before the other Bellas entered the studio. Luckily they were able to walk on heels now, and they practiced 'The Sign' , 'Turn the beat around' and 'Eternal Flame'. Chloe got to practice her solo and she was happy with it. It went well, and Aubrey had a rather satisfied look on her face as well. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca was about to leave the studio after practice. ,,Beca, wait!" Beca turned around and started laughing. Chloe ran toward her on high heels and it looked clumsy. 

,,Tonight is the Riff-Off. Would you like to come with?" 

,,What the hell is a Riff-Off? Who else is going?" 

,,Everyone. We're gonna take part in it. It's a singing competition and it happens every year after all Barden acapella groups chose their new recruits." Chloe put her hands on her hips and nodded with a smile. 

,,Okay... So, why didn't you tell me sooner?" 

,,Because I forgot to, I'm sorry Beca. But would you like to come with?" Chloe smiles and showed her white teeth, Beca looked away for a second before she answered. ,,Sure." 

,,It's gonna be great, Beca! Shall we watch a movie at your dorm before we go to the Riff-Off?" 

Beca chuckled and shook her head. ,,I don't like movies." 

,,What? Why not?" 

,,I only like producing music, I don't like looking at a screen." 

Chloe chuckled and the smile never disappeared from her face. ,,Okay, then I'd like to listen to your tracks." 

Beca didn't mind. She liked that Chloe wanted to listen to her tracks. 

,,Sure. Let's go." 

,,Let me change my shoes first." Chloe plopped down on a chair and Aubrey approached them. 

,,Hey Chloe, we have to be by the pool at 5." Chloe nodded and changed her shoes. She looked at the time and it was 3pm, there was enough time left. 

,,I'll see you there, Aubrey!" 

,,Yeah. Don't be late." Chloe and Beca waved Aubrey goodbye and left. 

Beca and Chloe entered Beca's dorm. Chloe was very enthusiastic about Beca's hobby. She stood by Beca's desk and her eyes were wide. ,,Whoa, I didn't know you were into this stuff so much." Beca stopped next to Chloe and she opened one of her tracks. 

,,Yeah. I just find songs that have the same chord progressions and I create a track that blends them together. So this is the bass line and this is matching up downbeats." Beca pointed to the screen and turned up the volume. She looked at Chloe for a second, trying to read her face expression. She smiled immediately. 

,,I assume you like it?" Chloe turned her head and then smiled even more. 

,,It's amazing Beca. You're really good at this." She turned back to the screen and Beca smiled. 

,,Who is singing?" 

,,That's me." 

Chloe looked even more shocked than before and raised her voice in excitement. 

,,Are you serious?" 

Beca nodded. ,,Yeah." 

,,It sounds really good." 

,,Thanks." Beca looked at Chloe and Chloe stared back. Beca quickly showed her another track she made. 

,,So what songs do you like?" 

Chloe shrugged and plopped down in Beca's chair. ,,I like a lot of songs, but Titanium is my favorite." 

,,You know David Guetta?" 

,,Yeah, of course!" Chloe couldn’t believe that Beca thought she didn’t know him. ,,You think that just because I’m not a DJ, I don’t know who David Guetta is?’’ Beca started laughing and turned the volume down at her laptop. ,,No, it’s not like that. I just thought you’d like other types of music.’’ 

,,Like what?’’ Chloe leaned back in the chair lazily and looked around at the room. ,,More like pop music. Girly singers.’’ Chloe looked back at Beca with her mouth agape. ,,That’s offensive! Do I really look that girly?’’ 

,,More girly than I am, that’s for sure.’’ Beca winked. Chloe eyed her and Beca realized she actually never winks. She went to shut her music off completely. 

,,You know, I have a particular reason why I love Titanium.’’ Beca frowned. 

,,And that is?’’ Chloe looked down and then back at Beca. ,,It’s my jam... My lady jam.’’ Beca’s eyes grew big in shock and she tried her best not to look disgusted, but she ended up failing. 

,,Ew. Gross.’’ 

,,I can’t help it!’’ Chloe laughed and looked at the time. ,,I think we have to go to the pool." 

,,Alright. How very weird of you, though." They both grabbed their coats and left the dorm, laughing as they walked through the hallway and out of the building. Beca was curious about this 'Riff-Off'. How it works. Do they just have to sing songs in order and then the judges decide? She had no idea. 

Chloe walked next to Beca. Her long red hair was loose and wavy, and Beca kept staring at her from the side. What was going on with her? Chloe was just a friend, right? 

They walked close to each other and their hands brushed each other's a few times. Chloe wasn't sure about how she felt either. She knew that she was a very affectionate person, but it's different with Beca. 

Beca and Chloe reached the pool and there were a lot of people. They saw the other Bellas there and they joined them. All Bellas turned their heads and greeted Chloe and Beca. Aubrey smiled and got everyone's attention. 

,,Okay Bellas. I'll explain the rules. They will choose a category first. We must sing a song that's based off of the category. If you know a good song which starts with for example, the word 'if', you have to interrupt the singing group at the moment they reach that word in their song. It needs to be exactly the same word and it must be in the chosen category." 

A loud alarm caused everyone to turn their heads. ,,There we go!" Chloe said happily and she was one of the few people of the Bellas who moved to the front of the group. She and Aubrey were more than ready for it. Beca decided to stand somewhere in the back. 

,,Welcome to the Riff-Off!" A guy shouted and everyone cheered. He chose the first category, getting on everyone’s nerves. 

,,The first category is... Ladies of the 80's!" 

,,Go go go!" Chloe said to Aubrey and Aubrey ran to the middle of the pool. The Treblemakers were faster and started singing and clapping their hands. 

,,Oh Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind hey Mickey hey hey hey Mickey!" 

Beca watched in amusement but she stayed in the back. Someone else interrupted the Treblemakers at the word 'you're', and she started singing to Bumper. Beca moved to the front and whispered to Aubrey. 

,,Hey Aubrey, when do we interrupt them?" Aubrey kept looking in front of her and she was clearly focused on the Riff-Off. 

,,Anytime the word matches and when it's a song in the same category. Focus, Beca." Beca slowly backed off and watched the group which sang 'Like a Virgin'. 

Aubrey stepped forward at that moment and snapped her fingers. 

,,Like the one in me, that's okay. Let's see how you do it, put up your dukes, let's get down to it." 

All Bellas sang the last part and walked forward to get closer to the other groups. Beca hesitated but moved along. She first started humming to the music but quickly started to really sing. That's when she noticed Jesse who was with the Treblemakers and looking at her. She smiled and sang along. Jesse winked and then the Bellas got interrupted by a drunk girl who tried to sing 'It must have been love'. Everyone started laughing. 

,,You are cut off! The next category is... Songs about sex." 

Stacie got the Bellas attention. ,,S&M by Rihanna!" Of course she knows what songs to sing. Cynthia Rose immediately moved to the front with Stacie and started singing. 

,,Na na na come on... Na na na na na come on, come on, come on." 

Beca was one of the Bellas who backed them up. Cynthia Rose continued singing and she and Stacie danced together until Donald, a Treblemaker, interrupted them with 'Let's talk about sex'. Stacie backed off slowly and Aubrey gathered the Bellas together. ,,I know another song Aubrey!" Stacie quickly ran back to Donald and put her hand on his chest. 

,,Baby all through the night I'll make love to you, like you want me to." 

All Bellas were about to back her up until Jesse interrupted Stacie. 

,,And I guess that's just the woman in you. That brings out the man in me." 

He pointed to Beca while the other Treblemakers backed him up. He was singing this to Beca. Beca was frozen to the ground and didn’t know what to say or what to do. Chloe quickly grabbed Beca's hand and pulled her in the circle their group had made. 

,,What are we gonna do?" Aubrey looked at everyone but everyone shrugged. They had no idea, this one was hard. Beca suddenly knew a song and ran toward Jesse. She started rapping 'No diggity'. She looked back at the Bellas while rapping. Some Bellas were shocked but Beca kept going. She finished her part and everyone was silent. No one knew what to say. She felt a little left alone because she was the only one who moved toward the middle. She decided to continue. 

,,Shorty get down, good Lord. Baby got 'en open all over town." 

She turned to the Bellas and Amy joined her. She kept scanning the Bellas, some of them looked at her and started humming and singing along. She turned back and even other people sang along who weren't allowed to sing along. They finished the song and the Treblemakers really didn't know what to sing. 

,,Good job Becs." Chloe said and winked. The guy who chose the categories walked toward the middle and stared at the Bellas. Everyone went quiet. 

,,The word you needed to match was 'it', and you were saying 'it's'. You are cut off!" He clapped his hands to let them know that they lost. 

Beca's eyes went wide and the other Bellas protested. ,,Are you serious?" Beca wanted to approach the guy to ask about that dumb rule, but Aubrey pulled her away from him. Beca looked back once and Jesse just shrugged his shoulders with a smile. 

,,It was great!" Beca said happily, and some Bellas turned their heads with a frown. 

,,We still lost, Beca." Aubrey said, and then turned away. 

,,I never heard of that rule. We are going to win next round, Bellas. Hands in." Everyone does that but Stacie hesitates. ,,On three or after three?" Aubrey didn't respond, she just pulled her hand back quickly and sniffed. Bumper was behind her and greeted the Bellas. 

,,Yooooo losers! Wanna have a drink with us?" Bumper put his arm around Aubrey and Chloe's shoulders and winked. 

,,We don't want to drink with guys like you." Aubrey didn't look at him but pushed his arm off her shoulder. 

,,Awwww... Really?" 

,,Yeah. Maybe another time. We're not in the mood right now." Aubrey said, and pushed him away again. The Treblemakers started laughing and walked away with the microphone they just won. 

,,Tomorrow rehearsal a bit later, at 11am. Maybe we could all get lunch after that." 

,,Sounds good." Amy said, and they all split their ways. The Bellas really didn't want to stay there because of the Treblemakers. The Bellas, mostly Aubrey, were too disappointed to stay around guys who would definitely keep telling them about their win. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca was one of the Bellas who went back to her dorm pretty quickly after the Riff-Off ended. Stacie and a few other stayed there but most of them left. 

Beca thought it was great even though they lost. The mood was very nice and everyone was friendly. Beca actually wanted to do this again. It was obvious that Aubrey and Chloe had done this more often. The confidence they showed was definitely something. 

Beca had never heard of a Riff-Off before but she liked it. Beca read the messages she and Jesse sent to each other last night, after the Riff-Off. 

Jesse: That was amazing, Beca. 

Beca: We lost. 

Jesse: So? You did great. 

She typed out a quick message and got something back immediately. 

Beca: Thanks. 

Jesse: Wanna get breakfast together? 

Beca smiled as she read the message. Sorry Jesse. First of all we’re just friends, second of all I don’t have time. 

Beca: Can't. Rehearsal in one hour and I’ll have lunch with the girls after. 

Jesse: That's too bad. Call me after that? 

Beca: We’ll see. 

She really didn’t want to sound harsh but he’s trying way too hard. Beca went to rehearsal and took a seat along with the other Bellas. Aubrey smiled nervously and folded her hands together. 

,,Okay Bellas. The regionals are very soon, so we need to work harder than ever. We can't let the Trebles win again. They will humiliate us, like they did last night." 

,,They would only humiliate us because of our song choice and our choreography. I mean, don't you think it's boring?" Beca regretted it immediately because Aubrey walked toward her and her face was close to Beca's. 

,,If you are not okay with the set list, why don't you leave?" Aubrey hissed and showed a smile, and waited for Beca's answer. She pointed at the door. Beca showed a sarcastic smile as well. ,,I won't leave." 

,,Okay, then I suggest you keep your mouth shut for the rest of the rehearsal." 

Amy broke the silence by coughing. ,,Bitch." She said through the cough, and Aubrey turned her direction. 

,,What did you say?" She folded her arms and Amy sat up straight. 

,,Nothing. My cough just sounds weird." 

Beca chuckled and showed a serious face expression after that. Amy was clearly terrified of getting removed from the group. 

Beca looked at Chloe for a second and she shook her head with a smile, about what Amy said. Aubrey continued her speech. 

,,So, yesterday we lost, but we will win the regionals. I'm sure we can do this. Chloe will be singing the solo and I'll be singing a part as well." Aubrey had already told the group earlier, but she just wanted to clarify it again. 

,,Why don't you choose someone else to do a solo?" Amy said, but she didn't want to make Aubrey angry. Aubrey shot Amy a death glare again. 

,,It was just an idea for a change..." She added, before Aubrey really got mad. 

,,Because I really trust Chloe with a solo. I have to really trust someone before I want them to do a solo." Beca rolled her eyes. She didn't want to be in the spotlights but Aubrey really didn't like her. She would never get a solo if Aubrey had to choose someone else. This will take forever. 

~~~~~~ 

"Thank god rehearsal passed quickly" Beca thought. She was starving and really wanted to go get lunch. 

They decided to go to a lunchroom. Aubrey called the lunchroom earlier to make a reservation for the girls. 

,,Oh, this looks great!" Stacie said, and scanned the menu with a grin on her face. Beca heard her stomach rumbling and placed her hand on it, trying to reduce the sound. 

,,You’re starving, huh?" Chloe said, and smiled. That made Beca smile as well. ,,Yeah. I didn't eat that much this morning." 

,,Why not? You know that's not good, right?" Chloe sounded a little bit worried. 

,,It's okay Chloe, I was just too lazy." 

,,That's the worst excuse I have ever heard. You have to eat next time. Don’t make up excuses because being ‘’lazy’’ is not a reason not to eat." Chloe said. 

,,Okay mom." Chloe playfully punched Beca's shoulder and Beca just ignored it and chuckled. 

Beca's phone suddenly rang and she grabbed it to look at the caller ID. She knew that Chloe was looking at her screen, because she sat right next to Beca. Beca looked at the caller ID. It was Jesse. Oh that’s right, he asked her to call him. He knew that she was having lunch with the Bellas. Why would he call now? Was he trying to annoy her? 

Beca declined the call and shut her sound off. She hoped that Chloe didn't see the caller ID. Or someone else. Aubrey sat close to Beca as well, she could have seen it too. 

Their food finally arrived and they started eating. Beca was silent the whole time, she didn’t know what to say. 

,,My doctor told me not to have sex for 6 weeks and I did it anyway." Amy immediately turned to Stacie who just told that to Cynthia Rose. Cynthia Rose just raised her eyebrows and shook her head at Stacie. 

,,You should really listen to your doctor." Amy said. Stacie just shrugged her shoulders. ,,Nah… I can’t help it, I’m addicted to it.’’ Some of the Bellas started laughing. 

Beca really enjoyed the food and quality time with the Bellas. It’s good to get to know everyone a bit better. 

,,So I told him to go home with me but he told me he couldn't. Just because he had a girlfriend!" Stacie threw her hands in the air in frustrating. Ashley stopped eating and leaned toward Stacie. ,,That's a good reason. Why should he cheat on his girlfriend?" 

,,Because I wanted him to go home with me. That's a good reason as well." 

,,How much do you take guys home with you?!" Ashley was shook by Stacie's stories. Stacie just shrugged her shoulders and took a bite of her food. ,,I don't know. Whenever I feel like it." 

,,So you actually mean every time." Stacie needed some time to think before she nodded. ,,Yeah." 

Beca nearly jumped out of her chair because her phone suddenly started buzzing, again. She let out an annoyed sigh and stood up. ,,Sorry, I need to take this call..." She was pissed at Jesse for calling her while she was with the Bellas. Beca answered the phone call and didn't let him speak. 

,,Jesse, you know that I am with the Bellas. Why are you calling me?!" Beca hissed and checked if she was out of the Bellas earshot. She was pretty sure that she was and waited for Jesse to respond. 

,,Because I already thought you were done, relax. Want to go out with me tonight?" 

Beca looked up for a second before answering. ,,Look, I’m sorry but I don't want to be your date." She didn't know what else to say. She was not interested in Jesse, but she didn't want to be harsh either. Then again, she was pretty sure that she did sound harsh. 

Jesse chuckled and Beca knew for sure that he was smiling. ,,Okay, how about we just walk around campus for a while? Maybe grab a drink or something..." Beca actually didn't want to go, but she would regret it if she said no. Friends can hang out, right? She always had a lot of friends who were guys, so why not? She had already told him that she is not interested in dating. 

,,Okay sounds cool." 

,,I'll meet you in your dorm at 4pm?" 

,,Sure." 

,,Okay, see you then." Jesse sounded really happy. Beca wasn’t sure what to say. 

,,See ya." Beca ended the call and walked back to the table. 

She plopped down in her seat and immediately felt Chloe's hand on her forearm. ,,Everything okay?" Chloe slightly frowned and Beca nodded. ,,Yeah, don't worry. I'm okay Chlo." Chloe smiled and Beca noticed that everyone was done eating. Aubrey asked for the bill and everyone payed. Chloe walked out of the building with Beca and they went back to the campus. 

,,Why did Jesse call you?" Beca's heart started beating faster and suddenly she felt nervous. So Chloe did see the caller ID. Wait. Why was she so curious about that? 

,,He wants to date me." Beca clenched her teeth. She shouldn’t have told her this. But she also didn’t want to lie. 

Chloe looked at her, not saying anything. What was she thinking about? She looked shocked. 

,,Oh! Okay, have fun." She almost looked sad while saying that and she sounded sad too. Beca actually wanted to tell her that it's not that way, but she didn't say anything. 

,,Thanks." They were silent after that, continued their way home listening to stories that the other Bellas were telling.


	5. Chapter 5

Beca arrived at her dorm just in time. Five more minutes until Jesse was going to be there. She didn't even have time to hang up her coat, someone knocked at the door as soon as she got there. Beca opened the door and Jesse was standing in front of her. 

,,Hey Beca. How was lunch?" Beca grabbed her coat again and grabbed her keys. ,,It was great. These girls are great. I actually can't wait for the Regionals." 

,,Me neither." 

,,Do you guys rehearse a lot?" Beca locked the door and they both walked outside. 

,,Four days a week. One and a half hour. It sounds like a lot of rehearsing, but we also drink beer while we are there. So it's actually not an hour and a half." 

Beca chuckled and put her hands in her jacket pockets, to prevent Jesse from taking her hand. 

,,So you think that sounds like a lot? We practice seven days a week, two hours a day." Jesse's eyes went wide and he smiled. ,,Are you serious? That's crazy." 

Beca just shrugged and continued walking. ,,Yeah. Aubrey is a strict leader. She really wants to win." 

,,Oh believe me, the Trebles win every competition. You'll probably end up second. Especially with those songs." Jesse winked and grinned. 

,,Yeah, I think you're right. The Bellas always use the same set list and choreography. I wished Aubrey let me change it. There's not even one song from this century!" 

,,Yeah, I heard. But this is a whole new group right? Could someone add a small change?" 

Beca frowned and thought about it. 

,,I know someone who could change it, but Aubrey is the leader and she would never listen to me or anyone else. She likes things her way." 

Jesse smiled and gestured for her to follow him. ,,Come on, I'll buy you a coffee." 

,,You really don't have to. I can buy my -" 

,,I insist." Jesse grabbed his wallet as he walked toward the coffee stand. Beca felt bad. He's totally hinting on this being a date to him. 

Jesse returned with the drinks and Beca accepted hers gratefully. ,,Thanks." She took a sip and immediately froze because Aubrey was walking at the other side of the campus, with Chloe. 

,,Beca? Are you okay?" 

Beca nodded and immediately turned around so she was with her back toward Aubrey, pulling her hood over her head so she was covered. She probably recognized her anyway. 

,,Okay. So I was saying that you did great at the Riff-Off. I actually wanted to talk to you after that but you already left. You didn't sing that much though." Jesse sat down on a park bench and Beca joined him. 

,,Were you looking at me the whole time or something? You sound like a stalker." Jesse took a sip of his drink and sighed. ,,Thank you Beca. That's so sweet of you." 

,,I know. But yeah I know that I didn't sing that much. It was pretty awkward. And that rule was stupid. We got cut off because we started with a slightly different word. Aubrey was pissed." 

,,She is always pissed." Jesse shrugged. 

,,Sometimes, but she had the right to be pissed there. Most stupid rule ever. I thought I did a good job." Beca leaned back and clamped her hands around her cup of coffee. 

,,Are you still pissed because your group has lost?" Jesse raised his eyebrows in question and Beca shook her head. ,,No. The prize was a microphone. I wasn't pissed, I actually thought it was a nice mood there." 

,,Good, we have the same thoughts about it." Jesse raised his cup and Beca smiled. ,,But you won, that is different." 

,,Yeah, but still... It's about the mood." 

,,How much time do you do a Riff-Off?" 

,,After the acapella groups chose their new recruits. That means once a year." 

Beca sat up straight and her eyes went bigger. ,,Only once? So you guys don't do it often, just for fun?" 

Jesse chuckled. ,,Fun? It's actually a war between Aubrey and Bumper. The official Riff-Off is only once a year, but sometimes it just starts spontaneously." 

Beca chuckled as well and shook her head. ,,Yeah, I understand." 

Beca looked at where Aubrey and Chloe were just walking, and she saw Aubrey looking her way. Beca froze and stood up. ,,I'm sorry Jesse, I have to go. Thanks for the coffee." She rushed away and heard Jesse saying ,,What? Why?" She kept walking and didn't go back. Beca was not afraid of Aubrey, but she just didn't want her to be pissed at her. 

Beca reached her dorm and closed the door. She was out of breath and leaned against the door with her eyes closed. Beca was sure that Aubrey had just seen her there with Jesse. And she knows what Aubrey will think. Beca always does whatever she wants and no one will ever change that, but the Bellas are the only reason she is being social. Aubrey and Beca could never be friends because of how different they think, Beca thought. 

Beca's eyes fluttered open and she started smiling. She quickly hung up her coat and started working on another track. 

~~~~~~ 

,,Beca, what are you doing?" Someone shook Beca's arm and Beca grunted. ,,What time is it..." She fell asleep while working on her track, with her head resting on her arms, leaning on the desk. Beca stretched her arms. Kimmy Jin grinned and looked at the time. ,,1am." 

,,1am? So where have you been this evening?" Beca stood up and plopped down on her bed. 

,,I was with my friends. Party." 

,,Oh nice... Did you have a good time?" Kimmy Jin nodded with a smile and disappeared into the bathroom. Beca got ready and then went to bed. She was too tired to continue working on her track, but she actually really wanted to. This one was very important. Instead she decided to go to sleep, that was more important than working on the track, at the moment. She would have plenty time the next day. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca went back home immediately after rehearsal the next day. To her surprise, Aubrey didn’t say anything about her and Jesse. Maybe she didn’t notice that it was Beca after all. 

She worked on her track again. Beca continued when she got home at 11am. The weather was actually great, but she wondered how her track would turn out. She stayed inside and Kimmy Jin was inside the dorm as well, reading as always. ,,I really don't get why you're here all day long." Kimmy Jin stood up and grabbed her coat. ,,I'll be back later this afternoon." 

,,Okay." Beca was too focused on her track. She was proud of it, and the track was almost done. It was 3pm and Beca wanted to finish it today. That meant she had to work hard. 

Beca lost count of how many times she yawned. She put a CD in her laptop and burned the track on the CD. 11pm. Beca yawned once more. ,,Oh my god..." She said to herself, and waited for her laptop to finish burning. Beca made sure the track was on her laptop by saving it once more. 

Her laptop finally finished and she pumped her fists into the air. ,,Finally!" She listened to the song and smiled the whole time. She was going to love it. Beca grabbed a pen and wrote on the disk. 

"Chloe: Titanium" 

My singing actually sounds good, she thought. Beca was proud of what she had done. Hopefully Chloe liked it too. She really became a close friend of Beca and Beca thought she deserved this. Chloe told Beca how much she liked this song, maybe in a weird way. She hoped that Chloe wouldn’t use Beca’s version as her lady jam. But she wouldn’t be surprised. 

Beca never thought she’s make a track for someone close to her. What she and Chloe had wasn’t just a friendship. It was… More. She knew it but she didn’t want to admit it to herself just yet. It was not a bad thing, but she never thought she could feel like this for someone. She wasn’t in love, exactly, but she felt like it wouldn’t take long. 

Beca went to sleep immediately after that and the only thing she could think about was the Regionals, which were in two weeks. And of course, the most beautiful redhead she knew. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca stood in front of the mirror and fixed her scarf. She was wearing the Bellas outfit and looked in the mirror. 

Beca actually wanted to take the CD with her, to finally give it to Chloe. It's been two weeks since she finished it, but she just had to find the right moment. 

Beca looked at the time and saw that she had 15 more minutes until she had to be there. ,,Shit." She stood up quickly and left. 

The other Bellas got ready as well. Chloe was in her dorm with Aubrey and practiced her solo. 

,,I got a new life, you would hardly recognize me I'm so glad..." Chloe danced to the song and Aubrey nodded while listening. ,,That was amazing, Chloe! You can do it." She pulled Chloe in a tight hug. ,,Thanks." Chloe said shyly. She looked in the mirror once more and fixed her hair. ,,Ready." She followed Aubrey and they went to the Regionals together. 

Beca arrived at the Regionals and she saw some of the Bellas. She quickly walked over to them, her heels clicking on the floor. 

,,Am I in time?" Beca asked the others Bellas and she was out of breath. She put her hands on her hips. 

,,Beca, how is it possible that I got here before you?" Amy asked her, and started laughing. 

,,Internship. I lost track of time." 

,,You're in time." Aubrey nodded and turned toward the stage. The Sockapellas were up and singing "F*ck you". 

Aubrey shook her head and rolled her eyes. 

,,How did they even make it into the Regionals?" Aubrey asked Chloe. Chloe just looked at Aubrey and she didn't respond. 

,,At least they are different." Beca said to Aubrey, but she kept looking at the Sockapellas. She was pretty sure Aubrey rolled her eyes again. 

,,Hands in Bellas!" Aubrey waited for everyone to do it and reminded everyone. ,,Remember, 'ah' on three... One, two..." Aubrey and Chloe were the only ones who did it right. Everyone else remained silent or said a very soft 'ah'. 

,,Let's give it up forrrrr... The Barden Bellas!" The commentator left the stage and the Bellas started walking toward the stage. 

,,Good luck ladies." Bumper winked and waited at the other side. 

Aubrey decided to ignore him because he didn't mean it anyway. He couldn’t wait to watch the Bellas lose. 

The Bellas took their positions on stage and Aubrey waited for everyone to be silent. Beca really didn't expect this much people to be there. Aubrey blew the pitch pipe and started counting. 

,,One, two, three, four..." 

They started dancing perfectly synchronized and Chloe started singing "The Sign". 

,,I got a new life, you would hardly recognize me I'm so glad. How could a person like me care for you? Why do I bother, when you are not the one for me?" 

Chloe handed the microphone to Aubrey and Aubrey started singing the other part of the sign. It was actually funny that Beca joined the group, because she really can’t dance well. 

All Bellas walked to the middle of the stage and Aubrey started singing "Eternal Flame". Beca stood next to Amy and she saw that Amy rolled her eyes. It was hard for Beca not to laugh. Aubrey handed the microphone back to Chloe. Everyone put their hands up in the air and danced in a circle. 

,,Turn it around turn around turn it around turn it turn it turn it around..." Everyone stopped dancing except for Chloe. She finally got to do her solo and smiled the whole time. 

Everyone danced in squares but Chloe walked toward the front. 

,,Turn the beat around, love to her percussion, turn it upside down, love to hear percussion." Everyone danced around Chloe while she sang the last part of the song. The Bellas put their hands in the air when Chloe ended the song. Beca smiled at the audience and Jesse was the only Treblemaker who wanted to clap his hands. He stopped when he noticed that the other Treblemakers were looked at him. 

The audience clapped their hands. The Bellas left the stage and all smiled. This was their first competition this year and it went great after all. Even after Aubrey’s stressing. Beca passed Jesse and he mouthed something. ,,That was awesome." Beca was sure Aubrey saw that, because she stopped walking for a second and then continued walking. 

Beca just smiled and followed the Bella's to where they were standing before their performance. The Trebles were up now. Bumper was the first one to run toward the stage, and he almost stumbled. The other Trebles were walking slowly. Beca leaned toward Chloe. 

,,Nice solo, Chloe." Chloe smiled. ,,Thanks Beca, that means a lot." 

Beca nodded. ,,You should do more solos." 

Chloe didn't respond to that one, she just couldn't hide a smile. 

The Trebles stood in one line and started singing "Right Round". The Bellas remained silent and watched the performance. This was actually really good. Very active, and this was song from this century. Beca almost wanted to rap along with Donald but she knew that that would make Aubrey mad. 

Jesse suddenly sang along with Donald. He walked toward the front of the stage and suddenly pointed to Beca. Beca hoped that the other Bellas didn't notice. 

The Treblemakers had a good performance. All eyes were on them, the whole performance was nice. Beca was pretty sure that the Bellas were going to lose. 

Aubrey still believed they could win. The Bellas waited for the results to be announced and Beca let out a sigh. She crossed her arms. 

,,You really don't like this, do you?" Amy asked Beca. Beca looked at Amy and chuckled. 

,,No, I like it, I'm just curious about what the results are." 

,,Me too. I really want to win so I can finally say something unfriendly to Bumper." Beca's eyebrows shot up and she spoke quietly. ,,I thought you liked him." She chuckled and Amy nodded slightly. ,,But he actually deserves it." 

,,The results of the Regionals... It was a tough battle between these groups. The group which ended in third place... The Sockapellas!" Everyone clapped their hands and Beca looked at the Sockapellas. The leader was disappointed. 

,,In the second place, who advance to the semi-finals... The Barden Bellas!" The Bellas cheered and Amy was the happiest one about it. Aubrey was… Proud, but she rather wanted to finish first place. Second place is never enough for her. 

,,And in the first place, defending their crown... The Treblemakers!" They ran toward the stage and grabbed their trophy. 

,,I'm going to kill them anyway." Aubrey said, and the Bellas smiled. They were happy about their results. 

The Bellas went to the lobby of the building, to get ready to leave. 

,,I'm going to take a look at the score sheet. I'll be right back." Aubrey walked toward someone who had a score sheet with her. Beca walked toward Chloe, who was putting her coat on. 

,,Hey Chlo, want to hang out tomorrow? I want to show you something." Chloe looked surprised and curious about what it was and she nodded. 

,,Yeah sure! But we have rehearsal as well." 

,,I know... But I have plenty time after." 

,,That sounds nice! I'll see you then!" Chloe smiled and Beca smiled back. What will she think of the track? Beca was the one who was singing. She didn't know if Chloe liked her voice. 

Aubrey walked back to the Bellas with a nervous face expression. 

,,The score sheet shows that the Sockapellas almost beat us. We can't let that happen. We advanced to the semi-finals and the other teams will only get stronger. We can't lose the semi's. 10am rehearsal tomorrow." 

,,What? That means I can't even have a normal breakfast!" Amy sighed and held her hands up immediately, because Aubrey sent her a deathly glare. 

,,Let's go back to Barden." The Bellas all walked toward their van and Amy was going to drive them back to Barden University. 

Beca got in the van and sat on the seat behind the driver. She was so sure that Aubrey saw what Jesse did. It's not the worst thing ever or something, Beca thought. But Aubrey thought about it differently.   
Beca looked at the seat next to her, where Aubrey was sitting. There was just a small path between the seats, and Aubrey looked at her from the corner of her eyes. Beca leaned against the window and closed her eyes. Everyone was quiet, Jessica and Ashley were the only ones who were talking. 

A part of Beca wanted to text Jesse. He flirted way too much and Beca wasn't into him anyways. She wanted to let him know, again, that she’s not interested in him. She opened her eyes and leaned forward to be able to ask Amy something out of Aubrey’s earshot. 

,,Hey. How are you and Bumper?" Amy turned her head for a second, checking if someone heard that. Everyone was still silent. 

,,Shh Beca! We're cool. I got his number." Beca chuckled and Amy kept her serious face expression. ,,What? How?" 

,,I stole his phone and I called myself with his phone. I put it back in his jacket pocket after that." 

Beca's eyes went big. Amy really wanted his number. ,,Wait, what?! How were you able to ‘steal’ it?" 

,,I figured out where their coat room was, and I found his jacket. I almost got caught by one of them because he forgot something. The guy entered the room and I jumped behind the jackets. Remember I asked you how it was able that 'I got there before you'?" 

Beca nodded. 

,,That's the reason why I asked. I stormed out of the room after that and I joined you guys. You got there a minute after I got there." 

,,That's crazy." 

,,Yeah. Well, I thought it was weird to just ask him." 

,,And you didn't think it was weird to 'steal' his phone? How did you know his code?" 

Amy shrugged her shoulders. ,,I stalked him. I saw him after the Riff-Off." 

,,You actually went there?!" Amy made a sign that Beca should keep the volume low. ,,Yeah. It was pretty nice. You worry too much, Beca. We only had a few drinks, he didn't jump me or whatever." 

Beca leaned back in her seat with a smile. She’s glad to have made such a crazy friend. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca was never nervous. Actually, almost never. Today was the day that she was going to hang out with Chloe. She just wanted to show her the track she had made for her. Beca wondered what Chloe would think of the track. 

Everyone thought rehearsal was boring. Aubrey told them that the Sockapellas almost beat them, but they already knew that. 

,,Which songs are we going to sing at the semi-finals?" Stacie asked Aubrey at the end of rehearsal. Aubrey turned to Stacie with a smile. ,,We will be singing "The Sign" and "Eternal Flame". 

,,What? Again?" Stacie grunted and crossed her arms. Aubrey was holding a stack of papers but she slammed it on the table in front of her, to shut her up. Chloe and a few other Bellas flinched. 

,,Let me get this clear. I am the one who makes the set list, not you or anyone else." Stacie turned around and rolled her eyes. Chloe turned to Beca and put her coat on and grabbed her bag. They decided to leave the studio. They really weren’t interested in Aubrey’s discussion with Stacie. 

,,Is your dorm in Baker Hall, actually?’’ Beca nodded at Chloe’s question and Chloe looked at the building. She pointed at the direction where her dorm is. 

,,Really? My dorm is near yours!" Chloe smiled again and they continued walking, not knowing how nervous the other one was. 

Beca's heart started beating faster every step she took. To her, it looked like Chloe was relaxed. They knew each other for months now and of course, Beca knew that Chloe liked being around people. She is sweet and you could say she also likes touching people, Beca remembered that time where Chloe grabbed her wrists during rehearsal. It felt like fireworks were shooting through her body. A part of her didn’t like that. She is not the affectionate kind of person at all.   
Now, she felt nervous as well. She almost rolled her eyes to herself because she was thinking this. 

Beca grabbed her key and unlocked the door. Chloe plopped down on the bed immediately while Beca shrugged her coat off. She smiled and shook her head. ,,You make yourself at home easily don't you?" Chloe nodded and shrugged her coat off as well. Beca took her coat and left them on the coat rack on the wall. 

,,Yeah. I'm not an awkward person or something." 

,,I figured." 

,,So, what are we going to do today?" Beca smiled and shut her laptop on. She really couldn’t wait. Chloe frowned with a grin and saw that Beca put a disk in it. What kind of disk is that? 

,,I want to show you something." Beca gestured for Chloe to get closer and she patted her office chair. Chloe slowly sat down in it and Beca crouched as she searched for the track. It popped up in the corner of the screen. She named it: 'Titanium_Chloe' 

Chloe sat straight up, curious about what Beca was about to do. She just saw her name pop up in the corner of the screen. 

Beca turned the volume up and started the track. 

Chloe couldn't believe it. Did Beca do this... For her? Why would she do this for her? Beca leaned on her desk the whole time as Chloe as she watched Chloe listen to the song. She almost couldn’t keep her eyes off Chloe. She was nervous about Chloe's opinion on it, but she could read off her face expression. Chloe clearly liked it and bobbed her head to the beat of the song. ,,This is so sweet Beca... You really did this for me?" 

Beca nodded. ,,Of course I did. It sounds better with headphones." She grabbed her headphones and plugged it in. Beca put the headphone on Chloe's head and covered her ears with it. Chloe chuckled because Beca only covered half of her ears, she couldn't see them because her hair covered them. She wanted to adjust the headphones and her hands grabbed Beca's hands first. She was still holding the headphones. 

Beca removed her hands slowly and it felt like Chloe was still touching her hands. Beca pressed play and the track started playing. Chloe smiled the whole time, leaning her elbows on the desk and resting her head in the palm of her hand. 

Beca looked at Chloe the whole time. She knew that Chloe really liked it. 

Beca noticed that the track was finished. Chloe put the headphones on the desk carefully and didn't say a thing at first. Then, she looked at Beca wide-eyed. ,,You really did this for me? Are you sure? I mean, isn’t this actually for someone else?" 

Beca chuckled and shook her head. ,,It’s for you, Chlo. It has your name on it. You are a really good friend of me, and I know that you care a lot about music. It seemed like you really like this song, so I decided to sing it and create a track." 

,,I was almost too scared to ask, but is that really you who is singing? Your voice sounds amazing!" Beca looked away for a second and she felt her cheeks turn red. ,,That's me. Thanks." 

Beca suddenly felt a little awkward. She knew that Chloe liked her voice, but she didn’t get compliments like this often. Beca wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t like compliments. Chloe put her hands on Beca's knees and forced her to look at her. ,,Beca, you are a good friend of me too. Of course I have more good friends, like Aubrey and the other Bellas. I have known Aubrey for a long time now. But you became so close to me, Beca. It's weird how fast that happens. Sometimes when Aubrey is hard on us, you are the one who says something and that's so right... Not to Aubrey, but you are right. About changing the set list. I have tried to convince her before, but she won't listen to me." Chloe chuckled and stopped immediately. She realized it wasn't that funny. Beca did something she didn't expect herself to do. She carefully grabbed Chloe's hands and Chloe squeezed Beca's hands immediately. 

,,She won't listen to me either, Chloe. We could win with your solos. This group is like your family, I can clearly see that. You are the prettiest girl of the group, with an amazing voice. You just have to believe it, Chlo." 

Chloe looked away for a second and first it looked like she was going to cry. Beca leaned forward a bit more to be able to look into her eyes, and when she did, Chloe looked straight back into Beca's. 

It felt like forever. Beca and Chloe kept staring at each other. Chloe looked at Beca's lips for a second. Is this a dream? 

Chloe's face came closer and her hands were not holding Beca's anymore. They moved to cup Beca's cheeks and Beca was afraid of what would happen after today. Will it only be more awkward, or will everything feel normal? Beca had to make the decision now. Did she want to kiss this girl or not? 

Beca brought her face closer to Chloe's and they stared at each other's lips. Chloe's heart was leaping out of her chest and they breathed the same air. Beca was about to close the distance when a knock on the door interrupted them. Beca grunted and Chloe chuckled and bit her lower lip. Beca walked towards the door. ,,Who is it?" 

,,Me, Kimmy Jin!" 

Beca rolled her eyes. She had a fucking key! Beca and Chloe could have kissed if she was just a few seconds later! 

,,You have a key, right?" 

,,Yeah, but I knew that you were in there." 

Beca frowned. ,,And how did you know that?" 

,,You're always here at this time of the day." 

Chloe frowned at Beca and smiled after. Beca stepped back to let Kimmy Jin into the room. It still felt like her cheeks were burning but Kimmy Jin didn’t notice. 

Beca and Chloe didn't kiss, but they knew that this was more than just a friendship. Chloe obviously had a crush on Beca and Beca had a crush on Chloe. Beca just didn't show it as much as Chloe did. Chloe left Beca’s dorm like they were normal friends. With a hug, and nothing more.


	6. Chapter 6

Beca was in the park, sitting on the grass and working on some more mixes. What happened the other day made Beca think. Aubrey once said 'You can fool with whoever you want as long it's not a Treblemaker'. Something made her think that Chloe is afraid to be with Beca. Aubrey is always bossy and it wouldn't be a surprise if she was angry at Chloe for being with Beca, Beca thought. Even though she is not a Treblemaker. Well actually, she thought Chloe didn’t always care about what Aubrey thought. Of course, Chloe was a really touchy-feely person. But she and Beca were like a magnet. They always searched for each other in the group and Chloe’s eyes… Sparkled whenever she looked into Beca’s eyes. Her eyes always had a sparkle but it was a different one when she looked into Beca’s eyes. 

Beca sighed and closed her eyes for a second, until someone removed the headphones from her head. 

,,Are you okay?" She almost jumped up and almost wanted to punch the person who did this. It was Jesse. Instead she just smiled and snatched the headphones from his hands. 

,,Hey. Yeah." 

,,Something on your mind?" Jesse plopped down next to her and scared at her screen. 

,,Um, no... I was just working on my tracks." She was definitely not going to tell him what she was thinking about. Jesse nodded and grabbed the headphones, he wanted to listen to her track. Just before he covered his ears with them, Beca snatched it from hands. 

,,Hey! My track is not done yet." 

,,So you won't let me listen to it?" Beca frowned. ,,Uh, no. Why should I?" 

,,Because I'm a good friend and I think you're a really good DJ. I should get something in return for giving you compliments." Beca frowned even more and chuckled. ,,You never listened to my tracks before." 

,,No, because you never want me to listen to your tracks." 

,,And why exactly do you think I'm a good DJ if you have never heard my tracks before?" Jesse thought about that and nodded. ,,You have a point. I just really think that you are a nice girl.’’   
,,Eh, I’m not nice.’’ Beca rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She heard Jesse chuckling.   
,,How is it going with the Bellas? Are you busy preparing for the semi-finals?’’ Beca rolled her eyes once again. This guy is never going to give up.   
,,Not that much really… But we have rehearsal at 1pm today so… I have to go.’’ Beca stood up and started walking towards the studio. Time to listen to Aubrey’s never-ending talks. 

~~~~~~ 

Chloe was almost done with her homework. ,,Crap.’’ She shot up to grab her bag and she went to rehearsal. She was almost late. 

,,Beca and I almost kissed. I can’t believe it.’’ Chloe whispered to herself. She wanted this to happen so badly... That Asian girl knocked the door at the worst timing. 

Chloe was almost at the studio when she saw Tom. ,,Crap crap crap.’’ She walked faster and was about to enter the building, when she heard her name. 

,,Hey Chlo!’’ Chloe turned around to see Tom, who was walking towards her and waving. 

,,Hey Tom…’’   
Tom’s eyebrows shot up. ,,What? Why are you so sad?’’   
,,I am not sad. I am just late for rehearsal.’’ 

,,Oh okay. I’ll see you later. Maybe in the shower?’’ Tom winked and Chloe rolled her eyes. ,,Definitely not. Tom, that happened once and it’s never going to happen again.’’ Chloe pushed the door open and entered the studio, hoping Tom won’t follow her. All Bella’s were sitting on their chairs and Aubrey was busy talking to them. She turned her head when she saw Chloe entering the studio. 

,,You’re late.’’ Chloe nodded and stood next to Aubrey. 

,,I know. Tom started talking to me.’’ 

,,Oeeeeh, who’s Tom? Your boyfriend?’’ Stacie asked Chloe and wiggled her eyebrows. Chloe looked at Beca for a second, who raised her eyebrows. What was Chloe talking about exactly? 

Chloe’s cheeks turned red. 

,,Uhm, no. He is not my boyfriend.’’ 

,,Then why is your face red? How big is his ‘pitch pipe’?’’ Stacie wiggled her eyebrows and the Bellas started laughing, except for Aubrey and Chloe. Beca had a forced smile on. She didn’t know who Tom was, but Chloe didn’t look happy. 

,,Aw, bummer.’’   
Chloe crossed her arms. ,,Why? Do you even know who he is?’’   
Stacie put her hands up. ,,Easy, I was just saying. I don’t know him but I know that he looks good. I’ve heard some stories about Tom.’’ Chloe decided to ignore it and to stand right next to Aubrey. 

,,Okay Bellas, let’s start rehearsing. The ICCA semi-finals are in a few weeks. I’m glad that we beat the Sockapellas, but those losers almost beat us.’’ 

,,So we are actually almost losers too.’’ Amy stared at a random spot in the studio and was thinking. Aubrey narrowed her eyes. ,,That’s not what I said, Amy. I just said that they are losers. That doesn’t mean that we are losers too. We can’t let people like that win from us. We are attractive girls and we are very talented, so that means we have a bigger chance of winning than people with sock puppets.’’ 

,,Unless they sing better than we do, and of course, when they’re more original.’’ Beca said, and looked at Aubrey with a bored face expression. Aubrey’s started breathing faster and Chloe put a hand on Aubrey’s arm. ,,Easy, Aubrey. It’s gonna be okay.’’ Chloe whispered and shot Beca a look as a sign that she shouldn’t always say what she thinks. 

,,Okay, stand up, we are going to rehearse our songs.’’ Chloe said. Beca stood up and decided to stay away from Chloe. Because ‘Tom’ is probably her boyfriend. Or whatever you want to call it. She felt weird thinking about Chloe with this Tom. 

Beca always noticed that Chloe tried to be near her. Usually she’s okay with it but today she’s not. She really doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings right now. One day ago, they almost kissed. And now it feels like Beca is trapped in a cage. She feels like she can’t tell Chloe what she really feels. She had no idea who ‘Tom’ was and Chloe didn’t bother to tell the Bella’s either. Was this really someone she was seeing or dating? An ex? Just a friend? Was Beca not supposed to find out? Chloe looked really happy yesterday. 

She couldn’t keep her eyes of Chloe, just because they had to copy her dance moves. And of course, because Beca kind of liked her. 

Kind of? She really liked her. 

Beca wondered what Aubrey would think of it if she heard about this. Is it obvious that they were interested in each other or not? She had to ask Amy about that soon. But Amy didn’t know about all of this. She actually wanted to tell her but she knew that Amy could tell someone by accident (or on purpose). Amy was not the right person to keep a secret. Actually she thought that none of the Bella’s could. 

Beca just couldn’t handle it anymore, she couldn’t concentrate. She tried to copy Chloe’s dance moves but she completely blacked out. Her concentration was gone and she felt dizzy and gross. What the hell? 

,,Beca, are you okay?’’ Beca turned to face Amy who was behind her. She shook her head and rushed away, grabbing her coat on the way out. 

The tears in her eyes made everything blurry. She rushed toward her dorm and didn’t stop until she reached her door. Her heart was leaping out of her chest and she let her tears roll down her cheeks. Chloe made her feel crazy. Beca never felt this before. She loved it, but she couldn’t explain to herself why she felt weird just now. She didn’t know him but she was mad. Was he like Jesse? Someone who wanted to date her? Or just a friend? Beca tried not to think about all of this because it made her feel sick and confused. 

Beca felt bad for running away. But she had no choice. Everyone probably thought she was crazy after this. 

She unlocked the door and pushed it open. She let herself fall onto her bed, face first, with her head in her pillow. She thought it over again and eventually, she got tired, and crawled under the blankets to take a nap. Maybe she’ll wake up feeling better. 

~~~~~~ 

Chloe froze and her breathing fastened. What just happened? All Bellas were turned in the direction of the door. The door slammed shut, and the Bellas were left looking at each other, not knowing what to say. They didn’t expect her to run away, out of everyone. 

Beca just ran out of the studio. Chloe didn’t know what the look on her face earlier meant. She felt bad about it. She didn’t want her friend to feel bad in any way. 

,,What just happened?’’ Aubrey asked with her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised. 

,,I – I have no idea…’’ Chloe stuttered and her eyes were big in shock. ,,Oh my god, this is my fault…’’ She said quietly, but loud enough for Aubrey to hear. ,,What? What did you do, Chlo?’’ Chloe just shook her head. ,,I don’t know.’’ Aubrey grunted and looked up. ,,Chloe, it’s not your fault… Did you get mad at her?’’ 

,,No…’’ Chloe mumbled and plopped down on a nearby chair. She grabbed her phone and tried to call Beca. 

Beca saw the caller ID and ignored her phone. She stood up and decided to take a shower. She let the hot water hit her back and closed her eyes. She heard her phone buzz in the other room again and ignored it again. The door of her dorm opened and closed. She knew it was Kimmy Jin. 

She stepped out of the shower after a while and went to the other room as soon as she was dressed. Kimmy Jin looked at her. ,,Hey, why are your eyes red?’’ 

Beca sighed and plopped down in her chair, with her head in her hands. ,,It’s nothing.’’ 

,,I know something happened Beca…’’ Kimmy Jin stayed right where she was and she kept reading her book. Beca decided to stay silent to show her she didn’t want to talk about it. 

,,I don’t want to talk about it.’’ 

,,Okay.’’ 

Beca grabbed her headphones and decided to work on another track. This time it was a very calm track instead of a loud one. She just wanted to let everything go. Music is her way of relaxing and resetting her thoughts. 

Chloe: Beca? What is going on? 

Beca read the message and stared at her phone. She was pretty sure Chloe was worried. 

Beca: Nothing. 

Chloe: I know something is going on. Was it about Tom? 

Beca: What..? 

Chloe: Beca. I’m coming to your dorm now. 

Beca: You can do whatever you want but I actually rather want to be alone for a while… 

Chloe: Okay… You know I’m always here for you right? 

Beca: I know. Thanks. 

Chloe: Xx 

Aubrey put a comforting hand on Chloe’s shoulder. She did not read Chloe’s messages but she knew that Chloe was worried. 

,,Why are you so worried about Beca?’’ Chloe turned her head and sighed. 

,,I have no idea why she ran off all of a sudden. This never happened before…’’ 

Aubrey suddenly sat up straight and looked shocked. ,,Oh my god, was it because you mentioned Tom? Does she like him?’’ Aubrey whispered the last part and Chloe almost wanted to punch her. 

,,Aubrey, I have no idea if that was the reason at all. I tried to call her but she wouldn’t pick up the phone.’’ Chloe sighed once again and looked around her. All of the Bellas were talking to each other. They wondered what was going on with their group’s badass. 

Aubrey clapped her hands and stood up. ,,Ladies, we’re going to continue the rehearsal despite the fact that Beca left. She will come back at the next rehearsal, I’m sure.’’ All Bellas started mumbling but they continued rehearsal anyway. Aubrey looked at Chloe with one eyebrow raised and Chloe shook her head. ,,Sorry Aubrey, I can’t. You will have my full attention tomorrow… I promise.’’ And with that, Chloe left the studio too. Most of the girls understood, but Aubrey was left questioning and wondering what had happened. 

She walked back to her dorm and watched a movie to try and forget about what happened today. She was afraid that she might have hurt Beca. 

But she was eager to find out what went through her mind. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca slammed her alarm shut and grunted while looking at the time. 6:50am. ,,Oh my god…’’ She sat up and stretched. Ready to start a new day. 

Or not. 

What happened yesterday had quite an impact on her. ‘Should I go to rehearsal today?’ She thought. Beca changed and grabbed her coat. It was early, but she couldn’t sit in her dorm all day long. She needed to get some fresh air. 

Beca inhaled sharply and showed a small smile. She was outside and walking toward the exit of Barden University. There was a café around the corner which was opened from 6am until 9pm. Perfect time to get some coffee. 

Beca entered the café and sat at a chair somewhere in the back. She was the only one at this time and a guy approached her. ,,Good morning, what can I get you?’’ 

,,Cappuccino please.’’ The guy nodded and walked back to the bar to prepare the coffee while Beca opened her laptop. She listened to some calming tracks and put her head in her hands. 

,,Cappuccino for the lady. Hey, are you okay?’’ Beca looked at the guy and shook her head. ,,No, but thanks for asking.’’ 

,,No problem. I’m James.’’ 

,,I’m Beca.’’ James eyes her for a couple more seconds and then decided to leave her alone. ,,Tell me if you need anything.’’ He walked away to the bar and Beca watched as he started cleaning glasses, and greeted a guy and a girl his age who just entered the cafe. 

Beca finished her cappuccino and saw the door opening and closing. Shit. She tried to hide but the guy who entered the café just looked her direction. Of course Jesse is here right now. Great, just great. Why why why at this time of the day? She really didn’t want to talk to anyone at this time. Jesse’s face lit up immediately and he waved at Beca. He took big steps and reached Beca’s table in just a few seconds. 

,,Hey Beca! Why are you up so early? It’s 7:30am!’’ 

Beca rolled her eyes and narrowed her eyes. ,,None of your business. I don’t want to talk to anyone.’’ 

Jesse raised his hands in surrender. ,,There’s really no need to react like that…’’ 

,,What? Was I not clear? I don’t want to talk Jesse. I know you mean it well but I’m not in the mood for talking. I’m sorry.’’ 

,,Okay. Well, good luck with rehearsal. It’s at 8 right? Do you need coffee to prevent yourself from falling asleep during Aubrey’s talking?’’ Jesse chuckled and stopped immediately when he noticed Beca was getting annoyed. 

,,No.’’ She responded coldly. 

Jesse gave a small nod and turned to go to another table. Beca ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Thirty more minutes. Everyone expected her to be at rehearsal but she really couldn’t bring herself up to be there and have a genuine smile on her face. 

Beca suddenly thought about something and it made her smile just a little. That’s it! She opened her laptop and opened ‘Bulletproof’. They always sang ‘The Sign’ but you could blend these two songs together. That would be really cool. Beca paid and went back to her dorm. She knew that Kimmy Jin was in class, so she could sing whatever she wanted. 

She turned her volume up and started ‘The Sign’. She started singing ‘Bulletproof’ softly and after a while she figured out how to blend them together and still make it sound cool and original. She looked at the time and it was already past 8am. She couldn’t go to rehearsal anymore. 

Beca was happy with the track but didn’t want to tell Aubrey about it. She would have to wait for a little while. Aubrey was probably mad at her for not being there.   
’’Don’t think about it, Beca’’ she thought and tried to think about other things. 

~~~~~~ 

Chloe and Aubrey left rehearsal together and Chloe was even more worried than the day before. Where the hell was Beca? She hasn’t said anything. They both walked toward their dorm when she heard a voice. ,,Hey!’’ Chloe turned and saw Jesse coming her way. Beca’s friend. ,,Hey. Can I help you?’’ Chloe crossed her arms with a small smile and raised her eyebrows. Jesse stood in front of Chloe awkwardly and shrugged. ,,What’s up with Beca?’’ Aubrey frowned even more and didn’t know what was going on. 

,,I have no idea. Yesterday at rehearsal she ran off without saying a thing and she wasn’t even at rehearsal today. She didn’t tell us she was not coming.’’ Jesse looked from the blond to the redhead and shrugged. 

,,I saw her at Baristas this morning at 7:30am or something.’’ He pointed to where the café is and Aubrey and Chloe looked at each other. ,,Thanks. We'll see if we can find her somehow.’’ They walked toward the café, of course knowing where it is. They find a James helping a customer and laughing as soon as they enter the café. 

,,Hey Chloe, Aubrey. How are you two?’’ 

,,We’re good! But we’re looking for our friend... Have you seen a brown haired girl this morning?’’ James raised his eyebrow and tapped his fingers on the bar, thinking. ,,Brown haired? Yeah. Around what time? Say, around 7am?’’ Chloe nodded eagerly. ,,The person who told us said 7:30, but maybe she got here at 7. Not sure.’’ She sighed and James spoke up. 

,,I did see a guy entering the café around 7:30 and approaching a brown haired girl. The girl left quickly after that. I'm not sure if he said anything, though. The girl was listening to music.’’ Aubrey nodded and put an arm around Chloe’s shoulders, walking away. ,,Thanks James! Appreciate it. That's enough information for us.’’ 

,,Maybe we should remove her from the group if she keeps acting like this.’’ Chloe sighed and took a step closer to Aubrey, who blurted that out right after they left the cafe. ,,Aubrey, maybe she was just sick.’’ Chloe spoke quietly and Aubrey sighed loudly. ,,That’s not a reason for not telling us.’’ 

Jesse approached them once they entered the campus grounds again. 

,,Maybe she’s at the radio station. I’m gonna take a look. I need to go there anyway, I’ll tell you if I see anything.’’ Jesse walked away and Aubrey stood still for a second with Chloe still standing next to her. 

,,I’m pretty sure he’s in love with Beca. He is always looking for her and they are always together.’’ 

,,Not always…’’ Chloe said and started walking toward her dorm with Aubrey following. She was almost sure that Beca was on the campus grounds. She can’t just disappear in one morning, right? 

~~~~~~ 

Another week passed and Beca didn’t even go to rehearsal once. It’s been a week since she saw the Bellas. She had spent a lot of time in class and in her dorm, and she and Amy didn’t even hang out. They usually like to hang out but Beca didn’t feel like it. The only one she saw was Kimmy Jin, and her dad once. But she tried avoiding the girls and actually, anyone from any other acapella group. Happenings like these will probably spread like a wildfire, especially between the groups. It took her a long time for Beca to calm down. 

But now is Monday. One more week until the Semi-finals. Beca didn’t want to go but she had to. She let the Bellas down last week and it did make her feel bad. They’re one team, and she felt bad for dropping them as if they were nothing. 

She just wasn’t ready to come back and face Chloe. She didn’t want the Bellas to read her face expression and think she’s weak. 

And they probably think she’s weak anyway, for not coming to the rehearsals. 

Beca got a few messages from Aubrey, almost every day of the week. Beca was sure. Aubrey will kick her out of the group. 

Aubrey: Beca, where are you? 

Aubrey: Can you tell me what happened? I have the right to know since I am the leader. 

Aubrey: Beca, if you’re not going to respond I’m afraid I have to remove you from the group. I’m tired of this. 

Aubrey: There is 9 more days until the Semi-finals and you have to be prepared or I will kick you out of the group. I expect you to be at rehearsal tomorrow. 

Aubrey: You weren’t at rehearsal. AGAIN. I want to have a conversation with you about this the next time you’re here. I have to know what's going on with you. 

Beca shut her phone off and stood up, her heart beating in her throat. Time to go back to rehearsal. She was more ready than the days before, but she’s not okay just yet. 

Beca left early and walked toward the studio slowly to make sure she was in time. 

,,Beca!’’ Beca turned to see Amy running her way and hugging her hard. 

,,Where were you?! I thought you were dead!’’ 

Beca rolled her eyes and kicked a stone out of her way. ,,Was it that dramatic?’’ 

,,Yeah. Chloe is really worried. She panicked at least once every rehearsal.’’ 

,,Are you serious?’’ 

,,Yeah. I felt bad for her as well. And everyone was worried about you. What actually happened?’’ 

Beca shrugged. ,,I don’t want to talk about it.’’ 

,,Oh. But I’m your friend, you know?’’ 

,,I know. I’ll tell you once I feel like it, okay?’’ 

Amy showed a small smile and they both continued walking until they reached the studio. 

Beca stopped just in front of the door and closed her eyes for a second. ,,You can do this, Beca.’’. She said to herself. Amy opened the door and waited for Beca to follow her. Beca followed and looked down, and she felt ashamed for not talking to the Bellas for a whole week. 

,,Oh my god you’re back!’’ Beca almost tumbled backwards because a worried redhead ran toward her and pulled her in a tight hug, wrapping her arms around her neck. Beca tensed for a second and slowly hugged Chloe back. Her scent... 

,,I was worried Becs…’’ Chloe whispered and pulled back. Beca didn’t know where to look. 

,,I’m fine… Don’t worry.’’ She mumbled. 

,,It’s not that easy. You were gone for a week without saying a thing and I kept thinking it was my fault.’’ Chloe said with a trembling voice and Beca noticed that the Bellas were all listening to their conversation. Amy showed a small smile. 

,,Okay ladies! The semi-finals are in one week! We have to be prepared!’’ Aubrey didn’t even ask Beca how she was doing and acted like she wasn’t even there. She interrupted her and Chloe stared at Beca with teary eyes before turning back to join Aubrey. Beca thought Aubrey had the right to do that. Beca was gone for a week, and left her team behind. She knew Aubrey hated her. 

,,What’s the change on this performance again?’’ Cynthia-Rose asked Aubrey. Aubrey just told the Bellas that they would be singing ‘The Sign’ again. Cynthia-Rose was one of the Bellas who couldn’t believe it. Everyone was tired of this song. 

,,There is no change. We will do the exact same thing as we did at all our performances. We will be singing ‘The Sign’, ‘Eternal Flame’ and ‘Turn the beat around.’’’ Aubrey said with a smile spread on her face. 

,,Okay, but why are you acting so crazy about this performance if we aren’t even going to change anything?’’ Stacie asked Aubrey. 

,,Because I want to win.’’ 

,,No offense Aubrey, but we could never win with this boring song.’’ Amy said and sighed dramatically. Aubrey didn’t say anything about it. ,,I think that we will get there if we just believe in ourselves. I know there is no song from this century…’’ She locked her eyes with Beca’s because Beca mentioned this a while ago. 

,,And I know we always do the same thing. But I have the pitch pipe so that means I’m the one who takes responsibilities and I’m the one who decides what happens.’’ 

Stacie chuckled at pitch pipe, because of what she had said earlier. 

Chloe stood next to Aubrey and just looked everywhere but at the Bellas. Beca knew she was tired of this song too. She was just too scared to tell Aubrey. 

Rehearsal passed and Beca was about to leave. 

,,Beca, wait. Remember I wanted to talk to you?’’ Aubrey put her hands on her hips and Beca grunted softly. ,,Yeah… Blow me away.’’ 

Aubrey narrowed her eyes and sighed desperately. ,,You know Beca, you haven’t told us you were not coming for one week. Why didn’t you tell me?’’ 

,,Oh, I’d rather not talk about that.’’ 

,,I deserve to know.’’ 

For a moment Beca wanted to tell Aubrey what was going on with her. She wanted to tell Aubrey she had feelings for Chloe. She wanted to tell her that hearing the name Tom, annoyed her. But she thought Aubrey would remove her from the group if she hears about any of that. 

Beca and Chloe haven’t told each other about their feelings. Beca was pretty sure Chloe knew. She turned her head for a second to see if Chloe was still there. She wasn’t. Man, she really wanted that kiss... 

,,Earth to Beca, hello!’’ Aubrey waved a hand in front of Beca’s face and Beca blinked. ,,What?’’ 

,,I asked you, again, what’s going on with you?’’ 

,,I’m just feeling sad… It doesn’t matter why.’’ Beca sighed and rubbed her forehead. 

,,Why doesn’t it matter?’’ Aubrey crossed her arms. Beca stood up and crossed her arms as well. 

,,You know what, Aubrey? I told you I’m not going to say a word about it. So will you stop asking me questions? I think it’s a good idea if we just don’t talk for a while.’’ She grabbed her coat and left the studio, whispering ,,Bitch’’ on her way out. 

,,Is that the famous DJ?’’ Beca turned to see Jesse walking her way and pulling her into a hug. She didn’t hug him back. Out of everyone, she runs into him, again. ,,Hi.’’ 

,,What’s up with you?’’ Jesse rested a hand on Beca’s forearm and also wondered what was actually going on. 

,,Nothing much. I’m just sad.’’ 

,,In love?’’ Jesse wiggled his eyebrows and Beca avoided his stare. ,,Who would I ever be in love with?’’ 

,,With me, of course.’’ Jesse sighed dramatically and started laughing after. 

,,No, Bellas can’t be with Treblemakers.’’ 

,,You actually made that promise?’’ Jesse smiled even more, with his eyebrows raised. 

,,We took an oath… But I’m done with Aubrey.’’ 

,,What happened?’’ 

,,She asked me too many questions about what happened and it’s none of her business.’’ Beca moved her arm away to get rid of Jesse’s hand. 

,,Oh. I see.’’ 

Aubrey walked out of the studio, her heels clicking on the street, hard. She walked slower for a second when she sees Beca and Jesse standing near each other and talking. She continued walking but kept looking at Beca and Jesse until she rounded the corner. 

,,Oops. Is she gonna remove you from the group now?’’ 

,,Don’t care anymore, Jesse. I fucked up.’’ 

,,Why?’’ 

,,I didn’t go to rehearsal for a week and I didn’t tell anyone. Not even Amy.’’ 

,,You didn’t fuck up. You’re going to be an amazing DJ in Los Angeles.’’ Jesse winked and what he just said made Beca smile a little. 

,,That would be cool.’’ 

,,I know.’’ 

They talked for a while until it was time for Jesse to go. He had to rush to the radio station and Beca had a free day. She went to her dorm and heard her phone buzzing. 

Chloe: Hey Becs! Pool party tonight, at the Trebles house. You coming? 

Beca actually smiled before responding to the text. 

Beca: Hey. Of course. Where is the house? 

Chloe: I’ll pick you up at 8 ;) 

Beca smiled and her heartbeat fastened for a second. She was looking forward to this party.


	7. Chapter 7

Chloe couldn’t be happier. Beca was coming to the party as well. Time passed quickly and before she knew it, it was 7:45pm. She stood in front of her mirror and picked a nice set of clothes. She fixed her hear and looked in the mirror to see her red locks fall over her shoulders. Her big blue eyes looked even bigger because of the makeup she put on. Aubrey was also getting ready but she was not as excited as Chloe was. 

,,Why are you always so cheery?’’ Aubrey put on her shoes and looked at Chloe, smiling. 

,,I’m just looking forward to a party! It’s been a long time since we’ve had a party there!’’ 

,,And you like their parties since when? Do you like checking out the guys?’’ Aubrey wiggled her eyebrows but kept a serious face expression because they couldn’t be with a Treble. Aubrey was very strict when it came to that. 

,,Uh, of course not.’’ Chloe replied and looked in the mirror one last time. 

,,Come on, let’s go.’’ Aubrey stood up and followed Chloe. They left the building and walked across the university. It was warm for this time of the day. 

,,Aubrey, why did you ask me, actually? We can’t be with a Treble.’’ 

,,I know. There are more people than just the Trebles.’’ 

Chloe’s heart started beating harder. Oh gosh, she hoped Tom wouldn’t be there. He had been obsessed by her since they met. 

,,Like Tom.’’ Aubrey said and Chloe grunted. It's like she read her best friends mind. 

,,What?’’ Aubrey chuckled and acted like it was all okay. 

,,I’m pretty sure he wants to be with me.’’ 

,,Every guy wants to be with you.’’ Aubrey smiled and Chloe showed a small smile as well. ‘And Beca’ she thought. She was pretty sure Beca liked her too. 

,,Hey, we have to walk past Baker Hall though. Beca doesn’t know where the Trebles house is.’’ Aubrey stopped walking for a second and eyed her best friend. ,,Is she coming too?’’ 

,,Yes. Is there a problem?’’ 

,,No. Never mind.’’ 

,,How did your talk go?’’ 

,,Bad. She got mad at me for asking questions.’’ Chloe chuckled and stopped when she saw that Aubrey didn’t like her reaction. ,,Sorry.’’ 

,,It’s okay…’’ Aubrey mumbled, and they saw Beca standing near Baker Hall from a distance, with Amy beside her. 

,,Hey!’’ Amy said and waved happily. ,,I can’t wait to go to this party!’’ Amy did a small dance and Beca chuckled. Her heart melted when she saw Chloe. She looked... Stunning. 

They locked eyes for a second until Aubrey started talking. ,,So… Let’s go then.’’ Aubrey and Amy started walking and Beca and Chloe followed. ,,I’m so happy you’re coming to this party, Becs. I missed you.’’ She squeezed Beca’s hand for a second and quickly let it go because Amy turned for a second. 

,,I hope there will be some cute guys tonight.’’ 

,,You took an oath, Amy.’’ 

,,Oh. Yeah, sorry. I know.’’ Aubrey shook her head slightly and Beca chuckled. There was a silence before Chloe broke it. 

,,And… Are you ready for the semi-finals?’’ 

,,Yeah. I think so. We are going to sing ‘The Sign’ anyway so it can’t be hard.’’ Beca had the feeling Aubrey was listening to their conversation as well. She was at risk already, so she shouldn’t speak her mind too quick. 

,,You’re right.’’ Chloe whispered and smiled. Aubrey couldn’t hear what she said. 

,,Are the other Bellas coming as well?’’ 

,,Yeah. They know where it is.’’ 

Beca’s phone buzzed again and she unlocked it to read the message. 

Jesse: Becaaaa… Will you come to our party tonight? @Trebles house? 

Beca: Yeah. Omw. 

Jesse: Can’t wait ;) 

Beca sighed because Jesse sent a wink, and then she noticed Chloe who read the message. 

,,He’s obviously into you.’’ 

,,I know…’’ Beca rolled her eyes. 

,,Are you not into him?’’ Chloe asked and Beca raised one eyebrow at her. 

,,No… And he probably thinks I’m going there because of him.’’ 

Chloe chuckled. ,,Oh. Well, we’re here.’’ Beca looked in the distance and heard the music. 

,,Let’s go ladies.’’ Aubrey walked in the front confidently. 

,,Maybe Bumper will be there too.’’ Amy smiled and Aubrey was too focused on approaching the party, she didn’t hear what Amy said. Chloe and Beca both smiled. ,,You really like him huh?’’ Chloe asked and Amy’s cheeks turned red. 

,,No. He is just friendly but I also don’t like him.’’ 

,,What? Why not?’’ Chloe asked again. 

,,Because he is annoying, and he really wants us to lose.’’ 

,,Well, we want them to lose too.’’ Beca said and grinned. They reached the pool party and Jesse approached Beca. 

,,There you are! Beca, I’m sure we would be great together. I am an acapella boy, you are an acappela girl and we’re gonna have amazing aca-children. Can I get you a drink?’’ Beca felt nervous because he just said this with Aubrey and Chloe around, they both heard what he said. Aubrey raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms and Chloe just looked uncomfortable. 

,,You’re kidding right?’’ Beca put up a fake smile and Jesse shook his head. 

,,I’m serious. Can I get you a drink?’’ 

,,No, I’m good.’’ Beca said and waved it off. 

,,Really? And you girls want anything?’’ 

,,No, Jesse. Would you stop talking to her?’’ Aubrey took a step closer and meant it. Jesse raised his hands in surrender and chucked. 

,,Alright Posen, whatever you want.’’ Jesse turned to walk away and they all sighed in relief. 

,,Thanks Aubrey.’’ Beca mumbled. Aubrey said nothing and sniffed loudly. There was a silence. 

,,Okay let’s go to the party!’’ Amy danced and the other Bellas followed. 

Beca and Amy walked in the front. Aubrey and Chloe were walking in the back and Aubrey whispered. 

,,Chloe, they like each other. I can clearly see that.’’ Chloe shrugged and turned her head to face Aubrey. 

,,What do you want me to say?’’ Chloe asked Aubrey. What was Aubrey trying to do? 

,,I just want them to stop flirting. It makes me sick. You remember the oath?’’ 

,,Of course I do.’’ Chloe said and they reached the party area with more groups of people. 

,,Okay. Well, Beca doesn’t care about the oath. She flirts with every guy she sees and ignores everything I say.’’ Aubrey sighed. 

,,She doesn’t flirt with everyone, Aubrey. And maybe you should be nice to her for once. She just acts like this because you act the same way, Bree…’’ 

,,Whatever you want.’’ Aubrey said, and waved it off. She rushed away and joined the other Bellas. Beca and Amy turned when they saw Aubrey passing them. 

Beca was confused and came eye to eye with a panicking Chloe. 

,,What just happened?’’ 

,,N-nothing. Literally nothing. Aubrey is just mad at me.’’ 

,,Why would she be mad at you?’’ Chloe avoided Beca’s eyes. ,,Doesn’t matter. Let’s party, that’s why we’re here, right?’’ She smiled and blended into the crowd. 

,,Eeeeyoooo Bella’s!’’ Bumper suddenly jumped in front of the three Bellas and smiled as he took a step closer to Amy. ,,You came.’’ 

,,Duh. Of course. I’m here for the booze.’’ Amy walked toward a table and snatched a bottle of booze off it. Bumper looked confused. 

,,I know you’re actually here for me, so…’’ Amy chuckled nervously and took a swig of the bottle. ,,Uh, no. Why do you think that?’’ 

,,I can tell by the way you’re staring at me.’’ 

,,Uh okay, but you stare at me too. Otherwise, you wouldn’t know about me staring at you.’’ 

Beca and Chloe looked at each other for a second before walking away. ,,Chloe, I think we should join the other Bellas.’’ Beca said to Chloe. Chloe chuckled and followed. ,,Sure.’’ 

,,Hey!’’ Cynthia-Rose said and greeted the two. ,,Hey! Wow, there’s a pool!’’ Chloe suddenly said, really surprised. The Bellas started laughing. ,,Yeah this is a pool party…’’ Chloe chuckled and was ready to kick her shoes off. 

,,What are you gonna do?’’ Beca said, and Chloe looked at her, her eyes sparkling. 

,,I want to go swimming!’’ Chloe playfully grabbed Beca’s wrists and tried to walk her back towards the pool. Beca was a bit stronger and pulled away from Chloe’s grip, laughing. 

,,No, Chloe!’’ Chloe just continued laughing and tried to do it again, but now poking her sides. 

Beca kept laughing and it suddenly felt like there was no one else except for the two of them. Chloe’s eyes looked so beautiful, well, actually she was beautiful. Chloe could tell that Beca was thinking about something and she stopped poking her. 

,,Are you okay?’’ Beca nodded and grinned. ,,Oh, I am.’’ She quickly grabbed Chloe’s wrists and turned. Now was her turn to get Chloe in the pool. ,,No Beca! No!’’ Chloe’s laughing made her weak and Beca took one step closer to the edge of the pool, and caused Chloe to fall into the water with a smile. She tried to grab Beca’s wrists and pull her into the water but Beca was out of Chloe’s reach. 

,,Oh, you are so on…’’ Chloe said, and climbed out of the pool easily. Beca ran away, toward the other side of the pool. Chloe was weaker than Beca but she ran faster. She quickly grabbed Beca’s wrists again and turned her around. 

,,You are fast!’’ Beca said, and Jesse walked by and handed her a drink with a wink. 

,,Thanks.’’ She said and turned to Chloe. 

,,I know, right! And now is your time to go into the pool!’’ Chloe tried to snatch the drink out of Beca’s hands but Beca reacted quickly by moving it away from her. 

,,Nu-uh. I can’t get into the pool.’’ 

,,Why not?’’ Chloe raised one eyebrow and ran a hand through dripping red hair. 

,,Because… I have a very big scar on my stomach and it’s infected, so the doctor told me to avoid water for a few weeks.’’ Beca thought of a quick excuse and managed to keep a straight face. 

,,So that means you can’t take a shower either?’’ Beca didn’t think about that. This was a stupid excuse. 

,,Oh, I can. I just have to avoid swimming pool water.’’ 

Chloe smiled and then showed a serious face expression. ,,Show me that scar?’’ She winked and pulled Beca toward the other party people. Beca and Chloe walked close and Beca leaned toward Chloe. ,,Maybe some other time.’’ Chloe smiled and started swinging her hips to the beat. Beca flirts way more whenever she drinks. Booze gives her confidence. 

Chloe got a dry set of clothes from one of the girls. Beca finished her drinks and the Bellas were the last people to be around the pool. Everybody else already left. It was 3am and actually time to go. Bumper and the other Trebles really liked being around the Bellas… But not for too long. 

,,Ladies, leave our mansion!’’ 

,,Mansion? You should call it a shack.’’ Amy said, and put her chin up. Bumper took a step closer, crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. 

,,What did you say?’’ 

Amy took a step closer as well and their bodies were almost touching. 

,,I said you should call it a shack.’’ 

,,I heard you.’’ Bumper almost whispered. 

,,Okay, then why did you ask me what I said?’’ 

Bumper rolled his eyes and turned around. He suddenly pointed to his ass and said ,,Kiss my ass, Amy.’’ 

,,Okay.’’ Amy was about to crouch down when the Bellas stopped her. Beca chuckled and was one of the girls who stopped Amy. Amy probably didn’t care if Aubrey was near them or not. 

,,Now shoo. We don’t want your loser vibes to infect us.’’ Bumper said to Aubrey in particular, who gave him the finger and rolled her eyes. The Treblemakers said ‘’oooooo’’ all together. They thanked the Trebles for the party and the drinks, and then left the house. 

Beca was not drunk, but she was tipsy. Chloe was tipsy too. Just a little. Beca is calm when she is drunk but Chloe talks a lot, like always. Beca is the one who flirts, but Chloe enjoyed it. 

They walked back to campus along with the other Bellas. A few girls left earlier but there were five Bellas who were the last ones to go back to campus. 

,,So, what did you think of the party? Was it what you expected?’’ Chloe put her arm around Beca’s shoulders and talked way too loud whenever she was tipsy. 

,,Yeah, it was cool. But those boys annoy me, Jesse keeps hitting on me.’’ Beca sighed and grabbed Chloe’s hand which was still around her shoulders, leaving Chloe’s hand there. 

,,Yeah those guys are annoying. I am happy you wanted to come along, Becs.’’ Chloe smiled and squeezed Beca’s hand. 

,,Me too. I had fun. It was good to let myself go a little. These weeks have been awful.’’ Beca was also easier to talk with when she was like this. 

,,You still haven’t told me what happened…’’ 

,,I’ll tell you sometime, Chloe. Now is not the right time.’’ Beca let Chloe’s hand go and she marched towards Baker Hall. 

,,Beca, wait! Aubrey, I’ll see you at the dorm. I’ll be there soon.’’ 

Chloe followed Beca quickly and joined her while she was walking back to her dorm. 

,,You really can’t leave me alone for a second am I right?’’ Beca chuckled quietly and reached the door to her dorm. Chloe stopped just in front of her and faced Beca. 

,,No. Beca, it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. I respect that. I just want you to be happy.’’ 

Beca said nothing, she just watched Chloe say these things. 

,,I felt awful too, these weeks. You were not on rehearsal and I was afraid Aubrey would kick you out off the group. But you’re still here.’’ Chloe smiled and there was a short silence. 

,,I’m happy I’m still here. You are special to me, Chloe. It’s good to be around you. You just give everyone positive vibes and you always seem so happy.’’ 

,,Not always.’’ Chloe mumbled and looked down for a second. Beca brought a hand up to Chloe’s chin and tilted her head up to force her to look into her eyes. Chloe’s blue eyes got lost in Beca’s. 

,,Most of the time, then.’’ Beca showed a smile. She didn’t think she could smile so much. 

Her bright white teeth almost blinded Chloe. Chloe looked at Beca’s lips and brought her face closer to Beca’s. 

Now is the right time, Beca thought. She couldn’t stop herself from cupping Chloe’s cheek with one hand, and she put her other hand on her still wet hair. Chloe smiled as she pressed her body against Beca’s, and she put her hands on Beca’s hips. Beca closed the distance and pressed her lips against Chloe’s. Her lips were warm and soft, and she felt Chloe smile a little as she poked Beca’s sides again. Beca smiled too much, she had to break the kiss. ,,Tease.’’ 

,,Sorry.’’ Chloe smiled and bit her lip. 

,,That was… Just wow.’’ Chloe said, and Beca opened her dorm door and sneaked into the room. Her one hand was on the door knob and the other one was on the wall next to the door. 

,,I’ll see you tomorrow?’’ Beca asked Chloe, and couldn’t hide a smile. She wanted to kiss her again. Beca felt confident, the fireworks in her body had never been this crazy. 

,,Of course. Rehearsal.’’ Chloe smiled and turned to walk away. Beca was about to close the door, but Chloe rushed back and pushed the door open a little to kiss Beca one last time. Her lips were really soft, and Beca loved it. 

,,Goodnight Becs.’’ Chloe walked backwards and waved shyly. Beca waved back and closed the door, resting her forehead against it with her eyes closed. What a day. 

They finally kissed, and man she liked it. 

Chloe ran back to her dorm. It felt like her lips were burning. Beca was an amazing kisser, and Chloe felt so happy she wanted to tell everyone. She wanted to tell Aubrey, but she knew she couldn’t. Aubrey would be mad. 

Chloe knocked on the door and Aubrey opened the door with a frown. ,,Why are you smiling so much?’’ 

,,Nothing.’’ Chloe shook her head and plopped down on her bed. Aubrey sat on her own bed opposite of Chloe and crossed her arms with a smile. ,,I think I know what happened. You saw Tom on your way back and you two finally got together.’’ Chloe frowned and her mouth was agape. ,,You’re kidding right?’’ 

,,No. Am I wrong?’’ Chloe chuckled and threw a pillow towards Aubrey. 

,,Ow.’’ Aubrey rubbed her arm and threw the pillow back to Chloe. 

,,It doesn’t even hurt.’’ 

,,I know. But what happened then?’’ 

,,Nothing important. I just can’t wait until Saturday. Two more days and we’ll finally do the semi’s. I hope we’ll advance to the finals!’’ Chloe clapped her hands enthusiastically and Aubrey shrugged. ,,You know, maybe Beca was right. About changing the set list. But I just want to stick to the set list we have now.’’ 

,,I understand, Aubrey. But we should change. We really can’t beat anyone with the songs we have now.’’ 

,,We beat the Sockapellas.’’ Aubrey mumbled and looked at her hands. 

,,They almost had the same score as we had. They almost beat us. We were lucky. We would’ve been kicked out if we ended third.’’ Chloe said and sighed. 

,,Maybe you’re right. But we will try to beat the others this Saturday!’’ Aubrey chuckled and got up. Chloe stood up too and pulled Aubrey in a hug. ,,We can do this.’’ Chloe whispered and Aubrey nodded at her shoulder. ,,Of course.’’ 

~~~~~~ 

The sunlight woke Beca on the day after the party. She was a bit hungover but it didn’t matter. There was only one thing on her mind, and it was a redhead. 

She wondered how Chloe felt about what happened. Beca got ready and went to rehearsal. Today is going to be bad. Dancing and singing when hungover. Great. With that, she sighed and opened the doors to the studio. The others were putting their bags in a corner. Beca’s eyes met Chloe’s and her heart started beating faster. She was pretty sure that her cheeks turned bright red, so she quickly looked down trying to cover them. 

,,Hey Beca! Hangover?’’ Amy playfully punched her shoulder and Beca grunted. ,,A little.’’ Amy started laughing really hard. ,,Amy?’’ Aubrey asked her and crossed her arms. 

,,Yes, sir?’’ Beca chuckled and Amy was serious. 

,,What is so funny?’’ 

,,Beca is hungover.’’ 

,,Really? Okay, well we have to concentrate today because this is our last rehearsal before the semi-finals. Come on, ladies.’’ Aubrey clapped her hands and stood in front of the mirrors and in front of the group. She looked in the mirror and her eyes locked with Beca’s. 

What was she thinking about? Beca avoided Aubrey’s stare and took her position. Everyone started singing the Sign and they were clearly bored. Beca felt like a robot. Always repeating the same thing. 

Her eyes locked with Chloe’s this time and Chloe winked while singing. 

,,Beca, why are you not singing?!’’ Amy was frustrated and couldn’t believe that Beca was not singing at all. Beca quicky whispered a sorry and continued singing the Sign. Chloe started her solo again and they all danced to the beat of the song. 

,,Aubrey, can I solo?’’ Amy said once they were done. Aubrey turned to Amy and looked at her like she said something crazy. ,,Eh, no… Chloe is going to solo.’’ 

,,Why Chloe? Maybe we should change it.’’ Chloe joined Aubrey, Amy and Beca and smiled. 

,,Why do you want to change it?’’ 

,,Well, someone else might be equally as excellent... and they might be shy and not wanna come forward and say they wanted a solo…’’ Amy said with puppy eyes and smiled. ,,Amy, you just literally asked me if you could solo.’’ 

,,I know. But someone else might be shy as well.’’ Amy quickly turned her head to look at Beca. Beca looked from Amy to Chloe, and then to Aubrey. ,,What? You really think I want to have a solo in this boring song?’’ 

,,Aca-excuse me?’’ Aubrey said, and narrowed her eyes. 

,,That’s not even a real word.’’ Amy whispered to Beca. Beca kept her eyes on Aubrey and grinned. ,,I heard that.’’ Aubrey held her hand up and walked away. Chloe mouthed ,,Sorry.’’ And then followed Aubrey. 

,,Why is she not letting me solo? Just for once…’’ Amy sighed and rolled her eyes. 

,,You really want to solo this song? It’s the most boring song ever.’’ Beca said and plopped down on a chair. 

,,I know, but I just want to scare Bumper.’’ 

,,Man, you really like him am I right?’’ Beca winked and Amy gritted her teeth. ,,Maybe I do. No wait, I hate him. He is annoying.’’ 

,,I don’t believe you hate him, Amy.’’ 

,,Believe whatever you want, Beca.’’ Amy chuckled and immediately stopped. ,,You’re right, I think I like him.’’ She whispered. 

,,I knew it!’’ Beca hissed back. ,,Go date him then!’’ 

,,What? No! He is a Treble! But maybe we could go on a double date soon, with us, Bumper and Jesse.’’ Amy wiggled her eyebrows when she mentioned Jesse. 

,,No way Amy. You know I don’t like him.’’ 

,,That’s what you think about me and Bumper too, but you probable like Jesse in secret. Oh shit…’’ 

Beca looked around and whispered. ,,What?’’ 

,,Pretty sure Aubrey heard us.’’ Amy whispered back and Beca looked at Aubrey, who quickly turned away. 

,,She is always around whenever I talk about Jesse to someone.’’ 

,,So you do like him…’’ Amy started laughing and punched Beca’s shoulder again. 

,,Oh hell no…’’ 

,,Do you like anybody at all?’’ Amy clearly thought Beca liked nobody. 

,,No.’’ Beca lied to Amy, but she had to. Amy would scream if she heard about Chloe and Beca, she would probably be too excited about it. 

,,You probably like someone but you’re too scared to admit.’’ Amy smiled and then walked away. ,,Beca, I’ll see you tomorrow. Be careful.’’ 

,,Careful?’’ 

,,Yeah, for the guys.’’ 

,,… Always.’’ Beca said sarcastically and stuck out her tongue. Amy waved and then disappeared through the door.


	8. Chapter 8

The Bellas were sitting in the van and Amy was driving. ,,30 miles… Are they crazy?!’’ Amy slapped the steer and sighed dramatically. 

,,Relax Amy, it’s worth it.’’ Chloe looked out of the window and continued bobbing her head to the music she was listening to. 

,,It is? Well, I don’t like to drive for 45 minutes long in the middle of nowhere. Maybe you’d like to drive instead?’’ Amy turned her head to look at Aubrey. Aubrey kept a serious face expression and shook her head. ,,I’d rather not. I have to focus.’’ 

,,Yeah me too. Don’t want to get us in trouble before the big show starts.’’ That was the last thing Amy said, and then there was a long silence. The only thing they heard was Chloe who was humming to the song and the car engine. 

,,I wish I had an airplane right now.’’ Amy sighed and Beca leaned forward to be able to talk to Amy. 

,,Did you say airplane?’’ Amy turned her head but kept her eyes on the road. ,,Yeah. It’s much faster.’’ 

,,I know. But you don’t know how to use an airplane right?’’ 

,,No.’’ 

Beca smiled and leaned back in her chair. She turned for one second. Stacie was taking care of her nails and doing her makeup. Lily was reading and writing. Jessica was reading as well. The other Bellas were either sleeping or staring at nothing. Beca was one of the girls who were just staring outside the window. 

,,5 miles Bellas!’’ Amy shouted from the front, causing the sleeping people to wake up. ,,Ugh Amy, why are you talking so loudly…’’ Ashley rubbed her eyes and Beca saw Amy’s smile which got brighter and brighter. 

,,Because we’re almost there, aca-bitches!’’ 

Beca looked aside and Aubrey couldn’t even smile about what Amy said. How boring. 

,,Oh my god, I’m so nervous!’’ Chloe started panicking and her breathing fastened. 

,,Don’t worry Chlo. It’s gonna be okay.’’ Aubrey said, and looked at Chloe over her shoulder. 

,,I hope so…’’ 

,,We’re here!’’ Amy shut off the engine and opened the bus doors. There was a big building in front of them and everyone was amazed by the building, except for Aubrey, Chloe and Beca. 

,,Wow…’’ Amy’s mouth was agape and she looked up. 

,,Oh come on, it’s just a building, ladies.’’ Aubrey shook her head and walked towards the building, with the other Bellas following. 

,,The Barden Bellas.’’ Aubrey said to the receptionist and the receptionist nodded. 

,,Walk down this hall. You are in changing room 9.’’ 

,,Thanks.’’ Aubrey nodded and the receptionist smiled. Everyone walked down the hall and entered the changing room. 

,,Okay ladies. I’ll do a short talk today. We will be competing against The Footnotes and The Treblemakers. This will be the hardest competition this year. The Footnotes are a strong group but we can win.’’ 

,,Not with these songs.’’ Amy whispered to Beca. 

,,I don’t know what The Treblemakers are going to sing for us today. Ladies, let’s get out there and kick some ass, aca-bitches!’’ Aubrey folded her hands together and everyone cheered. 

,,Aubey, that’s my word!’’ Amy said, and was not happy with Aubrey stealing her word. 

,,Whatever.’’ Aubrey said and gestured for the Bellas to follow her. 

,,Bellas, this way.’’ Benji, a guys from the University, walked out in front of the Bellas and the Bellas followed. Chloe fidgeted with her scarf nervously, like it was too tight around her neck. 

Beca couldn’t wait because this was actually a big step for the Bellas. Her first ever semi-final in anything. And the biggest one. She rather wanted to produce music but that’s going to be a long way. It’s not that easy. Maybe this is a nice first step after all. 

All Bellas were silent and staring at the group which was dancing and singing on stage. Perfectly synchronized. ,,These are the Footnotes. You are up next Bellas, good luck.’’ Benji nodded and walked away. The leader of the Footnotes glanced at the Bellas once, he looked at them like they can't even do anything. Amy wanted to punch the guy, that was clear. She bumped her fist against her other hand. 

,,I’m gonna crush that little peanut.’’ 

The Footnotes finished their song and bowed in front of everyone before they left the stage. 

,,Well, that was a great performance! They always know how to impress everybody. Now, the ladies from Barden University, the Barden Bellas!’’ The man left the stage and Aubrey sighed. ,,Here we go…’’ She said quietly and walked onto the stage first. Everyone else followed. The audience started clapping and the Bellas were all in position once they stopped. Beca stopped in the second row and she took her position. 

Do I really want to do this? Yeah. 

Aubrey blew the pitch pipe and she counted up to four. Chloe started singing and Beca couldn’t see her face. She knew that Chloe was smiling while she was singing. 

,,I got a new life, you would hardly recognize me I’m so glad…’’ Chloe continued singing and Beca looked to the side for a second. A few of the Footnotes were dancing to the song like this was the dumbest song they had ever heard. And Beca agreed. Beca looked at the audience. There were a lot of people who were about to fall asleep or they were looking at their phones. Some of them were even talking to each other instead of listening to the song. This was it. The Bellas would never win this way. Beca’s eyes scanned to crowd and she even saw one of the judges yawning. 

She remembered she thought about blending Bulletproof and The Sign together. Beca closed her eyes for a second and concentrated on Chloe’s singing. Beca just had to find the right moment to blend the songs together. Just a few more seconds. All Bellas started humming after Chloe’s last line and Beca counted down in her head. She opened her eyes and started singing. 

,,This time baby, I’ll be bulletproof.’’ Aubrey just got the microphone from Chloe and she walked to the side like she always does. Everyone was singing and Beca noticed that some Bellas were shocked by what Beca did. Aubrey was not amused, she shot Beca a death glare. Chloe was in front of Beca and she turned her head to look at Beca for a second, and then she looked at Aubrey, and back to the audience. Beca just continued singing and she knew that this was way better than the original. She wondered what Chloe would think of it, there was no emotion on her face really. 

She also noticed that the audience and the judges were surprised. All eyes were at the Bellas now. 

The audience clapped their hands once they were done, and Beca couldn’t hide a smile. She eyed the Footnotes again and they were a bit surprised as well. They knew that the Barden Bellas were usually boring but Beca just wanted to change something. To try and get everyone’s attention. They always listened to the same thing, every time they see the Bellas. It’s not original or cool anymore. 

The Bellas left the stage and they walked back toward the changing room. Beca walked in the front and Amy walked next to her. 

,,That was so cool, Beca! Maybe you got us to the finals!’’ 

,,Beca, I did NOT expect that!’’ Cynthia-Rose said and fist-bumped her. Beca just kept walking with a smile and was happy that the Bellas liked it. She heard a pair of heels clicking very quickly behind her and Beca turned at the sound. She came eye to eye with Aubrey, who nearly spit fire at her. 

,,What the hell Beca?! Were you trying to screw us up?!’’ Aubrey was furious. Her face was red in anger and she clenched her fists. Beca’s eyes went wide and she was frozen like all of the other Bellas were in that moment. Her heart started pounding and she wasn't sure what to say. 

,,Are you serious? I just –‘’ 

,,This isn’t the Beca show!’’ Everybody else was silent. Beca was sure that if she were to say something Aubrey would kick her out of the group. But she had to explain herself. This performance was ridiculous. You can't always stick to the same thing. 

,,Okay, I’m sorry that I messed you up, but in case you hadn’t noticed… Everybody pretty much dozed off during our set.’’ 

,,It’s not your job to decide what we do and when we do it.’’ Aubrey’s voice started trembling in anger and she sniffed loudly. Chloe eyed the leader and looked sad about Aubrey’s outburst. 

,,Why don’t you ask the group how they felt about your little improvisation?!’’ Beca’s heart was leaping out of her chest and her eyes scanned the Bellas, who were standing in a small group in front of Beca. Beca looked from Chloe to Amy. Chloe looked at her feet and Amy didn’t know where to look. She looked everywhere but avoided eye contact. The only thing Beca heard was her own breathing and her heart beating, hard. Why weren't they helping her out? She did understand, it was Aubrey. But they were her closest friends in the group. 

,,Amy?’’ 

Amy startled and turned her head. ,,It was cool… It took us a little by surprise but you made the performance better!’’ Beca gave a small nod and saw Aubrey’s head turn to Amy. 

,,What?! It took us a lot by surprise!’’ Aubrey was silent after that and she eyed Beca with her mouth agape. 

,,I told you she wasn’t a Bella.’’ Aubrey eyed Chloe, who was standing next to her. Beca didn’t know what to say. Aubrey can’t be serious… 

So wait up... She told Chloe that Beca ‘’wasn’t a Bella’’ and Chloe never told Beca? Seriously? 

This was it. This was the end of her ‘career’ as a Bella. 

,,Aubrey, don’t –‘’ Chloe tried while looking at Aubrey, but Beca stopped her. 

,,No that’s okay… You don’t have to pretend you’re allowed to have a say in the group, right?’’ Chloe’s eyes met Beca’s and Beca saw sadness in Chloe’s eyes. She was pretty sure that Chloe saw the same thing in Beca’s. 

,,And I know you’re hooking up with Jesse.’’ 

Beca felt the tears welling up in her eyes right away. What the hell was going on? Beca was right about this. Aubrey has kept an eye on Beca this whole time. She just wanted to try and kick Beca out of the group without any proof that she was actually hooking up with Jesse. Beca scanned all of the Bellas. Everyone looked at a random spot in the room past her, the only two looking at Beca were Aubrey and Chloe. Aubrey looked like she was ready to murder Beca, with her arms crossed and the look on her face. Chloe let out a shaky sigh and her eyes were teary as well. 

Then she looked at Beca, and it made Beca's heart sink in her chest. 

Beca walked backwards slowly. ,,If this is what I get for trying…’’ Beca turned quickly and passed the Treblemakers on her way out. It was clear that Jesse overheard the whole conversation. It looked like he was shocked after what Aubrey said. 

,,Beca, wait!’’ Benji followed Beca but it was too late. She swung the door open way too hard, and walked down the hall quickly. The tears were falling down and she wiped them away angrily. It didn’t matter what she looked like at that moment. She was done with this. The Bellas were done with her. No one even tried to stand up for her. Well, Amy and Chloe kind of tried, but it didn’t work. She really thought that blending the songs together would make them happy. 

Beca was almost at the end of the hallway when she heard a pair of heels clicking very quickly behind her. 

,,Beca, please wait…’’ Chloe stopped in front of her and grabbed her wrists, to prevent her from walking away. Beca didn’t say anything, she just looked at Chloe and then avoided her eyes. Chloe had tears in her eyes, and she brought a hand up to Beca’s face to wipe her tears away, leaving her hand there. 

,,Hey, Beca… You did great out there. I’ve never heard a voice so beautiful.’’ Chloe’s hand pushed a strand of hair away from Beca’s face and Beca moved her hands and wrapped Chloe in a hug, pulling her toward her. Chloe’s arms wrapped around Beca’s neck and she pulled her even closer. 

,,Chlo, why didn’t you say anything…’’ 

,,I tried but you didn’t want me to… And I don’t want Aubrey to be mad at me either.’’ 

,,She knows you left to come after me, right?’’   
Chloe shook her head on Beca’s shoulder, rubbing her back softly. ,,No. I told her I had to go to the bathroom.’’ 

,,And she believed it?’’ 

,,…Well I think so.’’ 

They stood like that for a moment before Beca let her go. Beca’s hands moved to grab Chloe’s hands and she squeezed them once more before walking backwards, wiping her tears away. 

,,Thank you so much, Chloe… But I can’t stay here anymore. I have to go.’’ And with that Beca stormed off away from the building, leaving a speechless Chloe in the hallway. 

Chloe went into the bathroom quickly to wipe her tears away. She didn’t want anyone else to see her like this. Especially not Aubrey. Her eyes were all puffy and red. She knew she had to go find the Bellas soon, before they found out she’s been away for too long. 

Chloe shrugged and tried to fix the red eyes, but she couldn’t fully hide it. She pulled her phone out of her purse, and she texted Beca. 

Chloe: Text me when you’re back at Barden? I’m worried. 

She put the phone back in her purse and she left the bathroom. Time to go find the Bellas. 

Chloe saw Benji in the hallway, but he walked at the end of the hallway. ,,Benji! Wait up!’’ Chloe ran as fast as she could on her heels and Benji turned. 

,,Oh hey, Chloe. What happened to Beca? I’m pretty sure I saw her leaving the building.’’ 

,,Aubrey got mad about the performance.’’ 

,,Why?’’ Benji moved to adjust his microphone and Chloe looked up at the ceiling. 

,,Because of the part Beca sang.’’ 

Benji’s eyes grew big. ,,The part that Beca sang wasn’t planned?!’’ 

Chloe shook her head. ,,No. She did that herself.’’ 

,,But it was great, right?’’ 

,,Yeah, I think it was amazing. But Aubrey got too mad. She told me that Beca wasn’t a Bella, and Beca stood right in front of us. I can’t explain how bad I feel…’’ Benji pulled Chloe in a hug. ,,That’s terrible… But Chloe, you should go find the other Bellas. They will announce the results in like, a couple minutes. I will talk to you later, okay?’’ 

,,Okay.’’ Chloe whispered and left quickly. ,,Wait, which way?’’ 

Benji showed a small smile and pointed to the right direction. ,,Follow down that hallway. They are probably backstage.’’ 

Chloe nodded and then started looking for the other Bellas. She found them eventually and joined them in the back. They didn’t even realize that she joined them. 

,,Where is Chloe? They are about to announce the winner!’’ Aubrey shrugged and Chloe walked toward Aubrey. ,,I’m here…’’ She mumbled, and crossed her arms. 

,,Where have you been?’’ 

,,I went to the bathroom and I saw Benji on the way here.’’ Chloe looked up at Aubrey and Aubrey frowned. ,,Have you cried?’’ 

,,No.’’ 

,,I can see that you cried, Chloe. Don’t lie to me.’’ 

Chloe held her hands up. ,,Okay, sorry. Do you really think I owe you an explanation after what you just did?'' 

Aubrey's opened her mouth but she didn’t say anything, she just turned back quickly because they were ready to announce the results. 

,,Now, the moment you have all been waiting for… The results of the ICCA semi-finals!’’ Everybody started cheering but most of the Bellas stayed silent, they were still shocked about what happened earlier the evening. 

,,In the third place… The Barden Bellas!’’ People started cheering but Aubrey was pissed and stormed off. ,,Let’s leave, ladies!’’ The sound of her heels on the floor faded away and some Bellas stayed to hear about the other results. 

,,The second place… The Treblemakers!’’ They heard a lot of guys cheer and make a lot of sound. 

,,In the first place, the Footnotes! Thank you all for being here tonight, and we’ll see you at the finals!’’ 

Chloe shrugged and shook her head. She looked at the ground while walking back toward the entrance of the building. Aubrey was there with a few other Bellas. Chloe walked next to Amy. 

,,Man… Beca did great. Why did we end in the third place?’’ Amy shrugged. 

,,I don’t know…’’ Chloe looked at the ground and sniffed. Shit. Don’t cry now, Chlo. 

,,Wait, are you crying?’’ Amy studied Chloe’s face and Chloe shook her head. ,,No.’’ She was clearly crying, Amy saw the tears falling down Chloe’s face. Amy spoke quietly after, standing between Chloe and the Bellas and out of the other Bellas earshot. 

,,Is this about Beca or about losing the championship?’’ 

Chloe tried hard to swallow a lump down her throat and she let out a shaky sigh before answering. 

,,Beca…’’ 

Amy smiled after that and looked Chloe in the eyes. ,,You like her, don’t you?’’ 

,,What?’’ Chloe felt her cheeks turn red and she avoided Amy’s gaze. 

,,You like her…’’ 

,,Maybe.’’ Chloe mumbled. She didn’t want everyone to know yet. 

,,Maybe?! I can clearly see that toner!’’ Amy looked down at Chloe and Chloe took a step back wiping her tears away. ,,What the hell is a toner?’’ 

,,A musical boner.’’ Amy wiggled her eyebrows. 

,,Ew. You made that up?’’ Chloe made a disgusted face. 

,,Yeah, but I don’t have a toner… You clearly have a toner for Beca…’’ 

Chloe grunted, wiped her tears away and walked away from Amy. The other Bellas were already on their way to the van and Chloe decided to sit in the far back of the van, alone. Everyone else was silent, and Aubrey was tensed, and stared at pretty much nothing during the whole trip, with her arms crossed. 

Beca got back at Barden a while later, and she walked across campus. 

,,Hey.’’ Beca turned and saw Jesse coming her way. 

,,Hey…’’ Beca said, and turned. She felt cold, the only thing she was wearing was the Bellas outfit and a thin coat. 

,,What happened out there? I wanted to go and find you but you were nowhere to be seen.’’ 

,,I left.’’ 

Jesse’s eyes went big. ,,Before the results?’’ 

Beca looked at the ground. ,,I didn’t want to know.’’ 

,,What did Aubrey do to you?’’ 

,,She just said some things. It’s not that important…’’ 

,,I know it is, Beca. You were crying.’’ 

,,Thanks for asking what happened, but I don’t want to talk about it…’’ Beca turned and left. Jesse followed her. ,,But I heard her mentioning something about me. That you have a thing for me. Is it true? Because I'd be honored if you wanted to go on a date with me. I think that Aubrey is right, I can see -'' 

Beca turned around and punched Jesse's arm, pushing him away after. ,,If you weren't blind or deaf you'd know that I don't have a thing for you at all. Now stop talking bullshit because what you just said is fucking insane. Now leave me alone Jesse I'm done explaining what happened. You don't even deserve an explanation if you're being like this!'’ Beca walked away and shouted over her shoulder ,,I swear if you're gonna follow me you'll have a problem.'' Jesse stayed behind and shook his head at what Beca just said. He decided to let it go and walk back to where he was going. 

Her hands were shaking as she entered her dorm. Kimmy Jin looked up from whatever she was doing and stood up. ,,Wow, are you crying?’’ Beca nodded. 

,,Yeah. I did something stupid.’’ 

,,You cheated on someone?’’ 

Beca frowned. ,,What? No, I would never do that!’’ 

,,So what happened?’’ Kimmy Jin was clearly very curious. 

,,I messed up during our set. I started singing bulletproof but that wasn’t what we rehearsed. I noticed that everyone pretty much dozed off and I wanted to win, I wanted to make our performance better. But we ended in third place anyway…’’ 

,,What did Aubrey say?’’ 

,,I’ve never seen her this mad.’’ Beca sighed and walked towards the window to get some fresh air. 

,,Are you still in the group or what?’’ 

,,I think she doesn’t want me there anymore. I understand it. I’m stupid. But there is one thing. She shouldn’t have reacted the way she reacted. That was crazy, and no one stood up for me. Well, Chloe and Amy tried but no one can stop Queen Posen, of course.’’ Beca rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. 

,,I don’t want to be there anymore if this keeps happening. I feel bad for the other Bellas though.’’ She mumbled. Kimmy Jin stood next to her. ,,You want to be a producer anyway right?’’ 

,,Yes. But it’s not that easy.’’ 

,,Maybe there’s someone out there who would love to see your work. Do you know anybody?’’ 

,,Well, Luke says he likes my work but I’m sure he can’t get me a better job…’’ 

,,Why not?’’ 

,,I brought a USB with my work on it and he threw it into a drawer with a lot of them in it. He threw mine into a drawer of USB-sticks. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t take my music serious.’’ 

,,Maybe he listened to it plenty of times and he actually loves it. Why don’t you go there to ask him what he thinks of it? I’ll go with you if you want me to.’’ Beca turned her head and smiled. 

,,Thanks Kimmy-Jin, but I think I should do this on my own. I’ll talk to you later.’’ Beca got ready for bed and knew exactly what she was going to do the next morning.


	9. Chapter 9

She entered the radio station and couldn’t believe it. It's almost like Luke heard her and Kimmy-Jin's conversation the night before. 

Beca heard one of her tracks on the radio. She ran and swung the door open. 

,,You’re playing my track right now! That’s amazing! It’s on the radio!’’ She stood in front of the windows and Luke stood up with a smile, opening the door for Beca. 

,,It’s good. Someone else had a track that looked like yours, but yours is way better, Becky.’’ 

Beca wanted to protest when he called her ‘Becky’ but instead she smiled. ,,Thank you so much!’’ 

Luke smiled and walked towards Beca. ,,No problem. It’s cool. If you could make more tracks like this, I will play more. I’d like to see more tracks like this one.’’ 

,,Yeah. Well, I have more time now that the competition is over for a while. I could work on more tracks definitely.’’ Luke raised an eyebrow. ,,More time? You finally got some free time from your flight attendant training?’’ Luke started laughing and Beca punched his shoulder. 

,, I did something stupid and I’m not in the group anymore.’’ 

,,Did you do that on purpose just to have more time for your music?’’ 

,,Of course not. I like to be with the Bellas. It’s just that I fucked up yesterday.’’ 

,,Oh? You had a semi-final or something right? Jesse said something about that and he told me you would be there too.’’ 

Beca sighed and looked up. ,,Yeah. I sang Bulletproof. I blended it with The Sign and we didn’t rehearse that. She was not amused at all.’’ 

,,Why did you do that? In front of a lot of people?’’ 

,,Because I wanted to make the song better. It’s the most boring song I’ve ever heard of.’’ 

Luke started laughing. ,,Yeah. Well, Beca… Just keep working on your tracks. It seems like that’s more your thing and not the girly stuff. I won’t push you to make track as fast as you can. Take your time and let me know if you have new tracks for me. They need to be perfect.’’ Luke winked and Beca turned to walk away. Kimmy-Jin was right about this. It was good that she went there. And what a coincidence that her track was playing. 

Beca’s smile turned into a panicked look when she saw the unread texts on her phone. 

Chloe: Text me when you’re back at Barden? I’m worried. 

,,Shit.’’ Beca scrolled down and saw the more recent texts. 

Chloe: Beca?! I’ve been in my dorm for an hour already, and you still haven’t texted me. Are you not back yet? 

Chloe: I’m gonna search the whole campus for you. I’m really worried right now. 

Chloe: Did you even read my text? Is your phone dead? 

Chloe: I just saw Jesse and he said he saw you on campus. Where r u?? 

4 missed calls from Chloe. 

Beca let out a sigh and got frustrated. She didn’t want Chloe to be worried. 

,,Fuck, fuck, fuck!’’ She quickly walked back to campus and texted Chloe while she was walking. 

Beca: Chlo, I’m so, so sorry for not texting you back. I didn’t read your texts yet and I went to the studio this morning. I’m back on campus, safely. 

~~~~~ 

Chloe walked through her dorm nervously. She texted and called Beca. She wanted Beca to text her when she got back at Barden. Chloe still hasn't got a text from Beca. 

,,Chloe, what the hell are you doing?" Aubrey sighed and watched Chloe pace through the room while sitting on her own bed. 

,,I don't know where Beca is. I called her four times and I texted her a few times. I'm worried." 

,,Don't worry about her. Maybe she's ignoring you." Chloe stopped walking and turned to look at her best friend. 

,,What? She would never ignore me. At least I care about her." 

,,She is just mad at me. Maybe she's just in her dorm and processing everything." 

,,What do you mean by "processing"?" 

,,That I got mad at her." Chloe looked at Aubrey for a second before responding. 

,,She's still in the group, right?" 

Aubrey sighed and shook her head. ,,I'll have to remove her from the group." 

,,What?!" 

,,I have decided to remove her from the group because -" 

Chloe got mad and held her hand up when Aubrey wanted to explain why. 

,,I don't want to hear it. We can't win without Beca." 

Aubrey inhaled sharply and held her head up. ,,I think we'll have to." 

Chloe stormed off and left the dorm. She walked outside and at that moment she heard a message coming in. 

Beca: Chlo, I’m so, so sorry for not texting you back. I didn’t read your texts yet and I went to the studio this morning. I’m back on campus, safe. 

Chloe let out a sigh of relief. ,,Thank god." She whispered to her phone and pressed the call button. Beca picked up the phone right away. 

,,Hey." 

,,Oh my god Beca, I'm so relieved that you texted me back!" 

,,I was at the studio." 

,,Why did you go there?" 

,,I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to stay in my dorm. I wanted to think about other things." 

,,I understand..." 

,,Luke wants to hear more tracks from me." 

,,Oh?" Chloe was surprised. What does this mean for Beca? And for the Bellas? She didn’t want to think about it, so she didn’t ask any further questions. 

,,Is Aubrey mad?" 

,,Of course she is..." Chloe sighed and Beca did too. 

,,...Of course?" 

,,Yeah. Believe me, Aubrey is good at staying mad for a long time." 

,,So I'm basically kicked out of the group." 

,,... Yeah." Chloe sniffed and Beca was silent for a second. 

Beca felt her heart sink in her chest. Aubrey really removed her. Aubrey would never let her be with the Bellas anymore. 

,,Oh..." Was all Beca could say. She was going to miss Chloe. 

,,I'm gonna miss you." 

,,Miss me?" Chloe asked, surprised. It almost sounded like she's going to move to the other side of the world. 

,,I really loved being a Bella. First I thought it was lame but I actually liked it." 

,,That doesn't mean we can't hang out anymore, silly." Chloe chuckled. Beca stayed silent. 

,,... So where are you now?" Chloe asked. 

,,Walking around on campus. I kind of panicked because you called and texted so much. I ran back and I'm about to go back to my dorm. I needed some fresh air." 

,,Okay. I'll see you soon. Stay where you are." Chloe ended the call and Beca put her phone back in her coat pocket. She walked back for another five minutes when she heard a cheery voice say her name. She turned around and saw a redhead walking her way quickly. She reached Beca and smiled. 

,,Hey…’’ 

,,Hey. I’m sorry Chlo.’’ 

,,No, I should be sorry. For not standing up for you back there.’’ Chloe looked down. 

,,You don’t have to feel bad about that, Chlo. It’s not your fault. Aubrey is the one who did this. Actually, I’m the one who ruined it. I completely understand that you don’t want her to be mad at you. It’s your best friend.’’ 

,,I know. But you are important to me as well. We were just standing there and it felt like no one was there for you. But you know that I’m here for you, right?’’ 

,,Of course I know that. You and Amy are my best friends in this group.’’ Beca hesitated for a moment before pulling Chloe in a hug. Chloe hugged her back, smiling with her eyes closed. 

,,What were you doing at the studio actually?’’ Chloe stepped back and Beca avoided her gaze. 

,,I know that Aubrey wanted to get rid of me. That was clear. I went to the studio because I handed Luke an USB earlier and wondered if he had already listened to my music. Luke wants to hear more tracks. He knows some good producers. He might be able to get me a new internship or something.’’ 

,,Oh…’’ Chloe crossed her arms as the wind started blowing harder. 

,,Come on.’’ Beca walked toward her dorm and Chloe followed. It was cold outside. 

,,Aren’t you happy for me?’’ Beca asked as they entered the dorm. Kimmy Jin wasn’t there. 

,,I am. I just like seeing you as a Bella because I’m quite used to it.’’ Beca smiled and looked at Chloe. 

,,You don’t like me as me?’’ 

,,I do. I just like the way you look with the Bellas outfit on. It’s sexy.’’ Chloe poked Beca’s sides and Beca shoved her aside. 

,,Stoooopp…’’ 

,,Nah.’’ Chloe kept poking her sides and Beca collapsed on her bed from laughter. Chloe climbed on top of Beca as Beca tried pushing her off her. Beca watched as Chloe’s red locks fell around her face like a curtain. She wanted to push Chloe’s hair out of her face to be able to look at her. She didn’t have enough time, Chloe grabbed Beca’s wrists and easily pinned them above her head. 

,,Surrender?’’ 

,,Never.’’ Beca tried pushing Chloe off her once again. Chloe was clearly stronger that way. 

,,Man, you are strong, Beale.’’ A playful smile played on Chloe’s lips and her face came closer to Beca’s. 

,,What did you say?’’ Beca lifted her head up and came closer to Chloe lips as if she was going to kiss her, but instead she used her power to push Chloe off her and flip them over. Beca was now on top of Chloe and Chloe didn’t see it coming. 

,,Oh wow…’’ Chloe covered her face with her hands because Beca kept staring at her face. 

,,Did I surprise you?’’ 

,,Your surely did.’’ Beca didn’t say anything and Chloe just stared at her. She wanted to ask Beca something but she was afraid of the answer. 

,,What does making more tracks mean for you as a Bella?’’ Chloe asked quietly. 

,,I’m not a Bella anymore, Chlo. I am a former Bella…’’ Chloe avoids Beca’s stare and they sat up straight. 

,,Maybe Aubrey changes her mind.’’ 

,,I don’t think so, Chlo…’’ 

,,I don't know... But I want you to be with me, in that group. You make me smile.’’ 

,,The other Bellas don’t make you smile? You’re literally always cheery.’’ Chloe smiled and bit her lip. 

,,Not as much as you do. I really like you, Beca…’’ Beca leaned toward Chloe, and she cupped Chloe’s cheeks. She pressed her lips against Chloe’s, and Chloe kissed her back. Beca needed and wanted this, and she knew that Chloe would never let her down or abandon her. She could just feel it. 

Chloe started kissing Beca back. They both felt the sparks as their bodies were pressed together. Beca moved her hands down and they rested on Chloe’s hips. Her hands were at the bottom of Chloe’s shirt and her hands went slightly under her shirt, and they rested at Chloe’s stomach softly. She felt Chloe tense under her touch so she stopped and pulled back. 

,,Do you want me to stop?’’ 

,,Actually not… But I can’t. At least not yet.’’ Chloe’s hand was still on Beca’s cheek and she brushed Beca’s cheek with her thumb. Chloe pushed herself up to press one last, long kiss at Beca’s lips. She pulled back and saw Beca smile, then avoided her eyes. 

,,I understand... But what are we now, Chloe?’’ Beca stood up and ran a hand through her hair. She was nervous about all of this. About everything that was going on. Chloe stood up and stopped in front of Beca. She wrapped her arms around Beca’s hips from the front and hugged her like that. Beca hugged her back, with her arms around Chloe’s neck. Pulling her really close. 

,,Will you be my girlfriend? I mean, I’m pretty sure we were something like that already. Because I can see that, what we have is something I’ve never-’’ 

,,I’d love that.’’ Beca smiled as she squeezed Chloe closer for a second and then pulled back. She was nervous awaiting her answer, but Beca just blurted the question out. She didn’t regret it. When she looked at Chloe, she thought she saw Chloe crying. 

,,Are you crying?’’ 

,,No.’’ 

,,Yes.’’ Beca cocked an eyebrow. 

,,Okay… I am going to try and get you back in at the Bellas.’’ 

,,Chloe… Aubrey needs some time to think. I think you should give her some time…’’ Chloe ran a hand though her hair and sighed, almost panicking. 

,,Time? She acted insane! I can’t let her do that to you. She needs to have some respect. You work really hard and she tried to break you back there.’’ Chloe almost started panting and Beca grabbed her hands, giving her a reassuring squeeze. 

,,Hey… I’m gonna be fine, don’t worry about me. I’m just gonna have some fun working on my tracks and we’ll see each other as much as we want.’’ 

,,If you say so...’’ Chloe said and walked towards the dorm door. 

,,I’ll see you soon?’’ 

,,Of course.’’ Beca pressed a kiss at Chloe’s lips and watched Chloe leave. Chloe smiled and left, almost running in happiness. She said yes to a question she couldn’t wait to answer. 

~~~~~ 

Beca woke up the next day and the first thing she did was thinking about ideas for a new track. She was a bit nervous about what Luke would think of it, but she thought he’d like it. 

Beca covered her ears with her earphones and bobbed her head to the beat of the music. This sounded great. 

Chloe rubbed her eyes and turned. Aubrey was on the other side of the room, still sleeping. Today is the first Bellas rehearsal without Beca. Well, they have had more rehearsals without her, but this is… Different. This is the first rehearsal without her being a Bella. 

Chloe got up with a sigh and walked toward the bathroom to take a shower. She felt bad for Beca. But it kind of looked like she didn’t care that much. Chloe knew she wanted to be in the group, but she also cared about her own music. And that’s understandable. She would have more time for that now. 

Chloe was done with showering and heard Aubrey in the other room. She really didn’t want to talk to Aubrey right now. She was still mad at the blond one for what she had done to her girlfriend. 

Chloe opened the bathroom door and walked straight to the door to grab her coat. 

,,Good morning to you too.’’ Aubrey said. 

,,Morning.’’ Chloe mumbled and didn’t look at Aubrey. 

,,Are you still mad?’’ Chloe turned this time and crossed her arms. ,,Of course I am.’’ Aubrey grabbed her phone to look at the time. 

,,Rehearsal starts in one hour. Are you leaving this early?’’ 

,,Yeah. I’ll see you there.’’ Chloe opened the door and left. She didn’t know where to yet. Then, a smile appeared on her face. Of course. James works today, and he just started. She could use a cup of coffee right now. 

Chloe entered the café and James smiled immediately. ,,Hey pretty one!’’ he winked and Chloe rolled her eyes. That’s how he likes to greet her now and then. 

,,Hey James. How are you?’’ 

,,Great, thanks. Hope it’s not gonna be too crazy today seen the weather. And how are you? Semi-finals were yesterday, right? You kicked some ass there with your solo?’’ James smiled first and then looked serious when he saw Chloe’s face. She looked sad. 

,,Not really. Can I get the strongest drink you have?’’ Chloe plopped down on a barstool and rested her head on her arms. 

,,It’s early, Chlo. I can't and won't do that. Your parents are going to be mad if I give you the strongest drink. How about a strong cup of coffee?’’ James leaned forward and looked at Chloe. 

,,That sounds about right. I don’t know, James… I feel sad.’’ 

,,You can tell me what happened. I won’t tell anyone.’’ 

,,Oh. Well, everybody already knows. Beca sang Bulletproof during our set, when Aubrey was singing The Sign. I’ve never seen Aubrey that angry. But the songs blended together nicely. I think she might be jealous or something. I would do anything to get her back in the group.’’ 

,,Wait, so Aubrey removed her from the group because she did that?’’ Chloe nodded and sighed. 

,,Beca definitely made our set better, but Aubrey was the only one who didn’t like it. Everyone loved it, except for her.’’ 

,,I see…’’ James said making coffee. 

,,I have a feeling that Beca is sad, but not very sad… She told me that she gets more time for her music now.’’ 

,,Her music?’’ James raised an eyebrow. 

,,Yeah, she wants to be a producer in LA. She’s really good, but I want her to be here with me.’’ 

James also raised his other eyebrow. ,,It kind of sounds like she is more than a friend to you.’’ 

,,Yeah. She’s my girlfriend now. Since yesterday.’’ 

James face lit up and he smiled. ,,I’m happy for you, Chlo. But is Beca the girl who was here a while ago? That you asked me about?’’ 

Chloe nodded. ,,Yeah, that’s her.’’ 

James chuckled and put his hand on Chloe’s shoulder to give her shoulder a squeeze. ,,You two will be fine, Chlo. She would be crazy if she didn’t see how crazy you are about her. Just go talk to her.’’ 

,,I already did. We will be fine for sure. The thing is, I want her in the group…’’ 

,,I think I’d want to let it rest. But I know what you’re like. You always want to make everything right. I’m here to talk if you need me.’’ 

,,Okay then. Thanks, James.’’ Chloe walked around the bar and hugged James. ,,I have to go to rehearsal right now. Thanks again.’’ 

,,No problem. That’s what friends are for, right?’’ He smiled and turned to another customer.   
Chloe left with a sigh and she walked to the rehearsing studio. She didn’t think she’d give up on getting Beca back in the group. She had never felt this way for anyone. 

The problem was that Aubrey didn't know about that yet. She was going to discover it eventually, but Chloe had no idea how Aubrey would react. Would she react normally, would she be mad? Chloe sighed, she had no idea. 

Chloe entered she studio and it seemed like the mood was actually good. Aubrey and a few others were laughing like nothing happened. It made Chloe sad. She didn't even say hi like she always did, she just sat on a chair with her arms crossed. This was so unlike her, and everyone noticed. 

Aubrey then approached her and put a hand on Chloe's shoulder.   
,,Chloe, what's going on with you?" Chloe looked Aubrey in her eyes, but didn't know if she knew it or not. Chloe shrugged and Aubrey removed her hand. ,,You treat Beca like she is nothing in this group. It makes me sad."   
,,Why do you think I treat her like she's nothing?" Aubrey took a step back and crossed her arms. ,,Because of how the way you talked to her... Do you like her at all?" Aubrey's voice softened.   
,,She belongs to our family now, Chloe. Of course. But we have to perform as planned. We can't have people in our group who suddenly change things." 

,,So you're actually saying that she's still in the group?" Chloe frowned. ,,I don't know." Aubrey just said. Chloe shrugged and shook her head. Aubrey had no idea what Beca meant to her. But Chloe wanted to have something clear.   
,,Okay. You clearly don’t know what to do. But I’ll let you decide because I clearly don’t have a say in the group. Just know that we can’t win without Beca." Chloe just said, and she stood up without even looking at Aubrey. Let's get this over with.


	10. Chapter 10

Beca smiled as Luke listened to her tracks. He bobbed his head to the beat of her song and looked impressed. Beca was leaning against the doorpost, nervously and her heart was beating rapidly. The two tracks she had made ended and Luke turned in his chair. He thought for a second and then opened his email. ,,I'm going to inform a decent producer about your talent. You need to find a new internship next year, right? I will call you later, okay?"   
,,Okay! Sounds good, I do need a new one next year." Beca thanked Luke for taking some time for her. She left the studio and her cheeks hurt from smiling. 

The first thing she did was grabbing her phone and calling her dad. He picked up immediately, and he was happy to hear Beca's voice.   
,,Hey Beca! How are you?"   
,,Hi dad! I'm great!" Beca’s dad could hear a little bit of sadness in Beca's voice. It was still shitty to not have Chloe around every day, he didn‘t know anything about them being together just yet. They saw each other a lot. They were both busy with other things as well. But Beca missed the group. She missed Amy and Chloe the most. 

Beca's dad knew that Beca had been in a relationship with girls when she was younger, but she also had relationships with guys. He had no idea about what she and Chloe were, but he respected everything Beca did. The only thing that he was not okay with, was the fact that Beca didn't want to be at Barden in first place. And whenever she was friends of more with the wrong people. But Beca just wanted to produce music and not think about things like school. I mean, what was she even doing at Barden if she already knew what she wanted to do? To her dad, it was important to graduate. And he had a point. 

,,That sounded like you didn't mean it." Beca closed her eyes and sighed.   
,,You're right... I'm doing just fine. I don’t feel great."   
,,What happened?" He sounded worried.   
,,Aubrey kicked me out of the Bellas group. I messed up at the semi's." Her dad sighed.   
,,What did you do?"   
,,Aubrey sang a part of what we rehearsed and then I suddenly started singing another song. Everyone pretty much dozed off. I wanted to try and make it better. You know, the songs we sing are really boring..."   
,,Beca, the songs you always sing are the songs I listened to when I was younger! And the semi-finals were a while ago, right?" 

,,Yeah, two weeks ago. The finals are actually in one month but we didn't advance... Sadly. There was another group and they were annoying. I actually wanted to punch them but instead I just sang a completely different song."   
,,That's not so smart of you, Beca... Do you also have positive news? Or is your whole life at Barden a burden?" Beca rolled her eyes after she heard her dad laughing, and then plopped down in a chair. 

,,It's good... You know I told you about my internship at the radio station, right?"   
,,Yes... You mean with Jesse and Luke?"   
Beca was actually surprised that her dad remembered their names.   
,,Yeah. I made a few new tracks and Luke listened to them. He can get me a better job."   
It was silent for a few seconds. Beca wondered if her dad would be okay with it or not. Probably not. He always thought that 'DJ' was a job for men. Not for 'ladies'. 

,,... Really?"   
,,Yeah." Beca said.   
,,So... Are you okay with that?"   
Her dad shrugged and she felt that he was smiling at the other side of the line.   
,,Yes... But you have to stay focused. Don't just focus on your music."   
,,Of course not, dad. I will also focus on my friends." Beca laughed and her dad did too. ,,And school!’' He said right away. ,,Why don't you come over tomorrow, if you have time?" 

Beca checked her schedule real quickly and she had a day off. ,,I have some free time. I can come over."   
,,Okay, sounds nice Bec. I'll see you tomorrow."   
,,I'll be there." Beca said, and she ended the call. She was really looking forward to some time with her dad. It's been a while ago since they last saw each other. Beca and Chloe have been together for two weeks already, and Beca and Chloe had quite some time together. She just didn't have much time to see her dad. Although she should have made time for him. 

Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it to read the message. 

Jesse: Hey, are you gonna leave the radio station? I'll miss working with you. :( 

Beca rolled her eyes. Jesse still didn't know about her and Chloe, but he didn't have to know. At least not yet. Beca decided not to respond. 

Chloe: Hey Becs. Wanna hangout tomorrow? 

Beca tapped out a reply. 

Beca: I'll be at my dad’s. The day after? ;) 

Chloe: Sounds good! Have fun with your dad! X 

Beca smiled and actually wanted to take Chloe with her. She thought it was best to have some family time. It's been a really long time since she saw her dad. It's a better idea to bring Chloe another time. 

She and Chloe didn't talk about the Bellas often. Beca wanted to know what they were doing at the moment, but Chloe didn't want to talk about it. She told Beca that it would be better if she asked someone else. 

Chloe didn't want to talk about it because it upset her. She wanted Beca in the group with her. She remembered the time that she learned Beca how to dance 'The Sign'. They talked about that a while ago. They both wondered when they realized they liked each other. 

Chloe thought Beca was attractive right away. Beca thought the same about Chloe, and it first started when they both danced 'The Sign'. Chloe is always the one who likes touching people and grabbing people's hands, but with Beca it was different. 

Beca was always with girls who ended up betraying her or using her. She was around 14 years old when she got into her first relationship with a girl, and they didn't last long. Her exes usually ended up cheating or just forgetting about the relationship. Not taking any initiative at all. 

Beca didn't care about that anymore, she was with a perfect girl at the moment. She never wanted to change what they have. Chloe can be so cute and giggly, but sometimes extremely frustrated by the things that Aubrey says. Chloe is the sweetest girl Beca knows, but Chloe is hurt easily. That’s why for example Aubrey, needs to be careful with the things she says. 

Eventually Beca drifted off to sleep, thinking about the next day. She couldn't wait to spend some time with her father. 

Beca hated traveling by taxi. She had no choice, she had to. Taxi's were expensive when you have to travel alone. 

She got out the taxi and walked toward the front door. Her dad saw her coming towards the door, he opened the door and spread his arms.   
,,Hey Becs!" Beca ran towards her dad and put her arms around him.   
,,Hey..." He pressed a kiss on her head and then they went inside the house. 

,,Tea?" Beca nodded. They used to drink tea. Always, when Beca came back from school. She always told her dad that tea was for old people. He kept telling her that drinking tea was actually nice. After a while she started liking it, and they watched TV or talked about life with a cup of tea. 

Now she's back at her dad's house, and it felt just like when she was younger. ,,So you got a new internship... Where is it?"   
,,I'm not sure yet... Luke is going to contact the producer. The producer has to hear my tracks and meet me before he actually agrees."   
,,That's understandable." He poured Beca a mug of tea and she clasped her hands around it thankfully. They walked toward the couch and Beca plopped down, spreading her arms on the backrest as her father sat down in a chair opposite of her. 

,,Why the sudden interest in another internship?"   
,,I always wanted to have a nice internship instead of stacking cd's in a radio station... I thought I’d do better things at my internship. So this step would be a good one. I messed up during the semi-final, I just wanted to do something to fill my time. I mean what am I supposed to do, staying in my dorm all day long?" Beca sipped her tea and grabbed a cookie. 

,,That's not a good idea either... So it wasn't because of another reason?"   
Beca sighed. Her dad was trying to get information about what happened after she got removed from the Bellas. He knew there was more going on. 

,,One of the other reasons was that I am removed from the Bellas."   
,,Do you still talk to them?" Her father leaned back in his chair.   
,,Mostly to Chloe, and sometimes to Amy. I'm actually more focused on my music right now."   
,,Why don't you hang out with them? They sound really nice from what you've told me."   
,,They are! I mean, I mostly talk to Chloe of course, because she is my gi-" Beca quickly shut her mouth and sipped her tea a little too quick in panic. She didn't want to tell her dad yet. Beca started coughing and ran towards the kitchen to get some cold water. 

,,Are you okay, Becs?" She heard her dad shout from the living room. Beca drank a lot of cold water. What she did was stupid, the tea was hot. She walked back to the living room with her face red in embarrassment. 

,,Sorry." She mumbled, and plopped down on the couch with a sigh.   
,,You don't have to apologize to me... But what did you want to say?" A smile spread across his face, and Beca looked past her dad.   
,,I think you already know." Her dad knows her too well. She can’t hide this from him anymore. 

,,Chloe is your girlfriend, am I right?" Beca nodded. ,,She is... Two weeks now, but she means a lot to me." Beca mumbled.   
,,Why don't you bring her along next time? I'd love to meet her!" He was so happy, and Beca couldn't hide her smile for the rest of the time.   
,,I wanted to, but I wanted to spend some time with only you."   
,,I mean next time. What is she like?" He leaned forward now and was ready to hear the stories. 

Beca shrugged. ,,Amazing... She is beautiful, sweet, she has an amazing voice, she is so happy most of the time... Her hair is beautiful, her face... Everything. She is just so beautiful. And she stood up for me after what happened at the semi-finals. We are so close and it all happened so quickly... It feels right with her."   
He smiled and then asked. ,,Is she good in bed?"   
Beca's face turned red and she smacked her father's arm. ,,Dad!"   
,,What? That's something you discuss with your father, right?" He laughed and rubbed his arm.   
,,No, that's something I would only discuss with my friends! And we never shared a bed before."   
His mouth formed an o and Beca grinned. ,,I'm not in the group anymore, so I can't see her in the Bella's outfit anymore." Beca sighed and looked up at the ceiling, clearly disappointed.   
,,You could go to the performances anyway, right?"   
,,I could... But I rather want to be in the group with her."   
,,You don't want to see her on the stage?"   
,,Well, yeah but I like singing with her."   
,,I understand that. I never expected you to actually like it at Barden."   
,,I never expected that my roommate is actually a really nice person." Beca chuckled and shook her head. 

,,She is? One time you told me that you actually really wanted to have a different roommate."   
,,Yeah, but she is actually nice. She is just snarky sometimes."   
,,So that's okay?"   
,,It is." Beca nodded and finished her tea. Her dad stood up and walked into the kitchen to get them another cup of tea. 

Beca's phone suddenly started ringing. She picked it up and answered her phone.   
,,Hey Chlo!"   
,,Hey Becs!" She heard Chloe's happy voice and smiled.   
,,Oh my god, I have great news!" Beca sat up straight and furrowed her brows.   
,,Yeah? Tell me."   
,,We got a second chance!" 

Beca thought for a second before she actually realized that she was talking about the semi-finals. ,,What?! How?"   
,,The Collegiate A Capella Association discovered that the Footnotes' group leader is not in college! They got disqualified and we got a second chance! We are going to the finals, baby!" Beca chuckled quietly. She was happy for Chloe, but she wasn't in the group anymore. 

,,Congratulations, Chlo. I wished I was still in the group. I'm definitely going to watch the finals! I can't wait to see you performing in Lincoln center. You told me that's your dream. I'm proud of you." Chloe chuckled. ,,I didn't do it myself... Everyone did their best. Why don't you come to the next rehearsal? I think that you should really join us again. You belong to the group. Aubrey said several times that you are 'part of the family'."   
,,What am I supposed to do at the rehearsal? Aubrey obviously doesn't want me there." Beca frowned. That's not a very good idea. 

,,I think that it's good to have you around. I need Aubrey to understand what I meant. You always come up with good ideas, and we can't win without you. You make us better. A lot." Chloe said the last part with determination.   
,,Are you sure about that? I mean I just think that -"   
,,I am. Tomorrow, 9am. We can hangout after that. Watch a movie in my dorm." 

,,Isn't Aubrey there? And I hate movies!"   
,,Yeah, probably. And just watch a movie for me then! It's not that we're going to do secret things, right?" She said. Beca smiled. ,,We would NEVER. Well, I'll see you tomorrow then..."   
,,Have fun with your dad! And sorry for interrupting."   
,,You were not interrupting. Thanks."   
,,Okay I’ll see you tomorrow, I can’t wait!"   
Beca smiled and her heart leaped out of her chest. She put her phone back on the table. Her dad was already back and in the chair opposite of her. 

,,Was that Chloe?"   
,,Yeah." Beca nodded and then sighed. ,,Are you okay?"   
,,Yeah... They got a second chance on the championship. I am really proud but I wished I was still in the group. I just feel... Weird without them. Chloe asked me to be at rehearsals tomorrow. To convince Aubrey to add me to the group again."   
,,That sounds good. But when it comes to friends, you have Jesse and Chloe right? And Amy?"   
,,Yeah... Well, Jesse is friendly but I have the feeling he still likes me." 

,,That's a good sign."   
,,No. I mean more than friends. He is really into me."   
,,Oh... But the group leader though, she might change her mind. Was her name Aubrey?"   
,,Yes."   
,,I think you should go there."   
,,Okay, I will." Beca said with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

Chloe couldn't wait until she saw Beca again. Yesterday she got a text from Beca. She agreed and she would come to the rehearsal. 

Chloe was still nervous. She and Aubrey were in their dorm and about to go to the rehearsing studio. Chloe didn't know if it was good to tell Aubrey that she had called Beca the day before. Aubrey was still angry about everything that happened. Her mood got better, but she was still snarky whenever anyone talked about Beca. 

The way to the studio was quiet. Normally they would talk and laugh, but it was different. It was weird.   
They both entered the studio and waited for the other Bellas to arrive. Chloe kept looking at the door, but every time it opened it was someone other than Beca. Was she joking about coming to the rehearsal? 

Chloe sighed and eventually Aubrey stood up. It was 5 minutes past 9 and Aubrey was ready to talk. All Bellas were on the tribune and watched Aubrey explain. Chloe didn't want to stand next to Aubrey. She was perfectly fine on a normal chair. Her heart was beating so hard, she was waiting for Beca. She missed Beca. She missed her beautiful face, her intense eyes, seeing her and hearing her laugh. 

,,My fellow Bellas. Yesterday, the Collegiate A Capella Association called us. They told us that we got a second chance." The Bellas burst out cheering and they were all happy. Chloe just smiled and Aubrey noticed that she wasn't as happy as she used to be. She narrowed her eyes at Chloe but continued her talk. 

,,That peanut is not as smart as I thought he was!" Amy suddenly said. It was about the leader of the Footnotes. Chloe and a few others started laughing.   
,,Indeed. So, what I want to do..." Aubrey walked away and pulled the white board with her. She grabbed a marker and drew her plan on it. 

,,So, what I want to do is the same as we did every time. We are going to wear the same clothes as all of the other times, and we will be singing the same songs. We're gonna change a small part of the choreography though. We don't want to do the same exact thing every -"   
,,That's what we always do, right?" Chloe stood up and crossed her arms. Aubrey looked at Chloe like she had just killed someone. 

,,Aca-excuse me?!" Aubrey crossed her arms too and took a step closer to Chloe.   
,,We literally always do the same thing. It's not original anymore. We haven’t been an original group in forever. People want to see change, original performances. Do you really expect people to vote for us if we always do the same thing? It's getting boring. People think we are lame."   
,,She is kind of right, you know." Cynthia-Rose said from the back row. Aubrey's breathing fastened and Chloe raised her eyebrow. 

,,You don't have to be angry at me. I'm the co-leader, and I should be able to have a say in this group!"   
,,Have you ever done anything good in this group?!" Aubrey said, with a stern voice. Chloe felt a lump forming in her throat and felt the anger rising in her stomach. She started tearing up. Aubrey never said something like this to her… She was about to have an outburst. She couldn't hide it anymore. She needed to tell Aubrey that she texted Beca. 

,,I have done good things in this group."   
,,For example?"   
Chloe showed a fake smile and narrowed her eyes. ,,I texted Beca yesterday and I asked her if she wanted to come to rehearsal today. She deserves to know. She is the best singer in this group and at least she would be a good leader. She and a few other people would like to change the set list and the outfits. And they do have a fair point."   
,,I don't want to change outfits!" Stacie said with panic in her voice. Of course she doesn't want to, she likes to wear these sexy outfits. 

,,The outfits are not the most important thing now, Stacie. And Chloe, why the hell did you do that? She WAS a decent singer in our group. But she messed up."   
,,She makes us better!" Chloe said with the last piece of hope in her voice. She really wanted Aubrey to agree on that one.   
,,I would have texted her if we really needed her." Aubrey's voice was trembling in anger. Chloe sighed and said ,,You're not always right, you know..."   
,,I'm sure we can do this without her."   
,,Aubrey, I have been there for you for so many years, and all you do is treat me like shit! You said several times that Beca is 'part of the Bella family'. So why don't you treat her like she's 'part of the family?'" 

,,I will if she treats us normally."   
,,If she treats US normally?! You are the only one who treats her like shit here."   
,,Chloe, why do you even care so much? Beca likes to produce her own music, you're not the only one who knows that. That's more her thing. She is not very 'girly'."   
,,So? She likes it here. You can't decide if this is 'her thing' or not!" Chloe raised her voice and threw her hands in the air. 

Aubrey opened her mouth to respond but Amy interrupted her. ,,Aubrey, I don't want to be like the old Bellas. No one wants to be like them. We want to be a fresh start. A new chapter."   
The Bellas all agreed with Amy and they all started to talk to each other. Aubrey tried to speak but no one heard her. Everyone continued talking. Chloe couldn't even hear herself thinking anymore. She closed her eyes for a second and Aubrey just stood there and watched Chloe. Amy noticed that Chloe was sick of it. 

,,Alright guys, stop! Shut up!" Amy signed with her hands and stood in front of the whole group. Everyone was silent and looked at Amy. Amy looked at Chloe hopefully. She hoped that Chloe had something else to say.   
,,You should have listened to Beca. She was the only person who had the courage to say what she thought, and what she wanted to change. She was the one with the good ideas, we can't say that about you, Aubrey." Chloe passed Aubrey without even looking at her and Aubrey turned. 

,,So this is my fault?!"   
,,That's not what I'm saying! I'm just saying that you're too controlling, and it's gonna ruin all of us! We could have been champions if you actually listened to Beca!" Chloe plopped down on a plastic chair. Her head hurt from thinking and from shouting.   
,,Chloe, I have the pitch pipe. I decide what happens within the group as long as I have it."   
,,Well, maybe you should give it to me. Aubrey, look at the group. They all want to win this competition. You do too, right? You have to believe me. Beca wants to win just like we do, and she knows exactly how. I heard some of her music, and she knows a lot about it." 

,,Chloe... Again, I would have texted her if we really needed her." Chloe looked at the rest of the group for help. Aubrey just didn't get it.   
,,We can find someone who wants to replace her. There are plenty of girls on campus who really want to join our group." Aubrey nodded and smiled. She scanned the group nervously, but everyone remained silent. Some of the Bellas stood up and walked towards Aubrey. 

,,Beca does too. You're just not giving her a change.’’ Chloe replied. 

The door opened and closed very quietly and Chloe was the only one who saw it. Beca entered the rehearsing studio quietly and made eye-contact with Chloe. Chloe shook her head and Beca raised her eyebrows. She had no idea what was going on. 

Chloe looked at the Bellas in shock. She watched at least three of them who started handing their scarfs to Aubrey. 

,,I don’t wanna be like the old Bellas!’’ Amy said.   
,,Yeah. I wanna be how we are now." Cynthia-Rose said, and handed her scarf over.   
,,Me too." Lily said, and did the same thing. Chloe saw Aubrey's shocked, pale face. 

,,You should have listened to Beca.’’ Chloe crossed her arms and hoped Beca heard that. 

,,Guys? What is going on?" Beca approached the Bellas and everyone looked at her. Chloe and Beca looked at each other for a second and Chloe shook her head even though her heart was pounding. She wanted Beca here, but this was not the best timing. Aubrey was acting like an idiot and Chloe really didn't want Aubrey to be mad at Beca, more than she already was. 

,,This is a Bellas rehearsal."   
,,I... I know. That's why I came here."   
,,You're not a Bella anymore, Beca." Aubrey said, rolling her eyes. Beca came closer and came to a stop next to Chloe. God, Chloe wanted to hug her and grab her hand but she knew that was not a good idea. 

,,Aubrey, please listen to Beca..." Chloe said. Aubrey looked like she was going to be snarky at Chloe but instead she sighed and nodded.   
,,I still have the pitch pipe."   
,,Yeah, obviously. You probably mean the bitch pipe. You're still acting like I-" Chloe grabbed Beca's wrist and squeezed it. She gave Beca a look, she shouldn't talk to Aubrey like that. Aubrey deserved it, but Chloe really didn't want a fight. Again. 

Beca cleared her throat and walked over to the whiteboard. She gestured for the Bellas to sit on the tribune carefully. 

Beca was definitely not the leader type. Chloe watched as Beca flipped the whiteboard over to a clean side, and grabbed a marker. Everyone was silent and watching Beca.   
Chloe couldn't help but let her eyes scan Beca's body. She let her eyes linger on Beca's butt for a few seconds. Beca turned around and smiled at Chloe before scanning the rest of the group. Aubrey was on a chair as well, and tapping her foot on the ground nervously. Beca cleared her throat and spoke. 

,,Uhm, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. You know, for changing the set. If you would have me I want back in." Aubrey stopped tapping her foot to the ground and then shrugged. Aubrey didn't say anything back to Beca, so she thought it was good to continue writing on the board. 

This was not a good sign. 

Beca finished writing and Chloe read it. She had drawn the outfit she had in mind, she wrote the song choices on the board and she added choreography changes.   
,,So, uhm... I had some outfit changes in mind. For example, I think it's cool if everyone would wear a different outfit. So, for example some of us could wear blazers with a shirt under it, some others could wear tank tops and a few people could wear a blouse. So yeah, that's what I had in mind. Something like that." 

,,That's a good idea! Aubrey, am I right?" Amy exclaimed and stood up, trying to convince Aubrey. Stacie pulled her down again and hissed something at her. Aubrey just ignored Amy and avoided eye contact.   
,,About the song choice... I've been working on a mashup for a while now. I thought it would be good if we sang more modern and some upbeat songs, for example I chose 'Price Tag'. I don't know if you are all okay with that. But I think that we could make a pretty cool choreography on that one..." 

Chloe smiled and watched Beca as she told the Bellas about her ideas. She wanted to kiss her right now. This sure sounded original. 

,,What songs did you pick for the final?" One of the Bellas asked her. Beca smiled and then grabbed her laptop from her bag. She connected her laptop to a speaker and played a part of her mashup. 

All Bellas were listening with attention and Beca hoped that the Bellas would like it. She worked hard on this and no one knew about it. Not even Chloe or Amy. Beca actually wanted to delete the mashup in anger after she got removed from the group. She kept the mashup for Chloe, because the Bellas deserved to win. Chloe would be the first one to hear about it. 

Now was the right time to tell them. She was standing in front of the group, and they all wanted to win the ICCA championship. Beca, and everyone else but Aubrey, were sure that they couldn't win with the set list they had now. The songs were just too boring. 

Everyone wanted to hear songs from THIS century. They wanted a better and original choreography. And of course, different outfits. The Bellas always tried to get attention by wearing 'flight attendant' outfits. They thought it was sexy, and it was, but it was time for a big change. A big surprise to everyone, including themselves. 

Beca stopped the music. Chloe was smiling and actually, everyone smiled. Except for Aubrey. 

Beca looked at Aubrey and spoke with confidence. ,,So this is a mashup of 'Price Tag', 'Don't You', 'Just the way you are', 'Give me everything', 'Party in the U.S.A.' and 'Turn the beat around.'" Beca smiled and crossed her arms.   
,,So what do you all think?"   
Chloe stood up with a smile. ,,This is amazing, Beca. I love it." 

More Bellas stood up and told Beca that they liked it. Eventually Aubrey was the only one left on the chair. She stood up with a shrug, interrupting everyone‘s talking. ,,I know I've been hard on you and everyone... You are more than welcome to back in."   
A big smile spread on Beca's face and she and Chloe made eye contact. Aubrey smiled too and Beca walked to her laptop again. She opened another mix and Chloe ran over to her to watch over her shoulder. ,,Oh, what is that?" Beca looked aside and Chloe's face was close to hers. Beca glared at Chloe's lips for a second before smiling. 

,,I made a mashup of 'Just the way you are' and 'Just a dream' earlier." Beca pressed play and they all listened until it ended. Chloe turned to Beca. ,,Why did you make a mashup of these songs?"   
Beca smiled and then walked towards the exit. ,,Because I thought they sounded great together." 

There was actually another reason why she used these songs, but she would show the group in a little bit. There was only one person who would understand why. 

Beca gestured for the girls to follow her. They all followed Beca outside, not knowing why. Chloe bounced up and down next to Beca with a nervous grin and also not knowing where they were heading. She walked close to Beca at her left.   
,,Where are we going?" Chloe asked, grabbing Beca's forearm with her left hand and her hand with her right hand. They walked so close, the people behind them couldn't see that they were holding hands. And if they saw, they probably wouldn’t suspect anything. 

,,We're going to the empty pool."   
,,Why?" Chloe was so curious it made Beca smile. ,,Only one way to find out." They reached the pool shortly after and Beca came to a stop, facing the girls.


	12. Chapter 12

,,Let's remix this business." The Bellas all furrowed their brows in confusion. ,,Remix what?" Jessica asked.   
,,I want to remix 'Just the way you are' and 'Just a dream'. I want to know if it sounds good in real life instead of on a laptop." Beca stood a few meters from the group and faced everyone.   
,,Chloe, are you okay to take the lead?"   
,,Just the way you are'?"   
,,Yeah." Chloe looked at Beca with a confused face expression and then nodded. ,,Yeah." She smiled and slightly furrowed her brows. She had no idea what Beca was up to. 

Beca started with the first beat and everyone followed. She locked her eyes with Chloe and Chloe started singing. 

,,Her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining." 

Beca couldn't take her eyes off Chloe and it was hard not to smile. Her voice was so beautiful. Chloe looked confused the whole time, why did Beca want her to take the lead? 

,,She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day." 

Beca saw the smile on Chloe's face at that part. Beca brought her hand up and started singing. She nodded at Chloe. 

,,Uh, uh, was thinking 'bout her, thinking 'bout me, thinking 'bout us, who we're gonna be." 

She nodded at Chloe once more and smiled too much, she took her eyes off Chloe because she didn't want it to be suspicious. They both continued singing, the others joining in, and no one noticed the chemistry between Beca and Chloe. They were all focused on their own singing and they didn't pay attention to what was happening between them. Chloe and Beca were singing this part to each other, Chloe understood why Beca was doing this. Chloe couldn't stop smiling as she sang 'Just the way you are' and her eyes traveled down to Beca's lips for a few seconds. Her eyes were sparkling in happiness, and she couldn't wait to spend time with Beca after rehearsal. She understood why Beca picked these songs. 

,,Just the way you are." 

Chloe finished the last line and everyone started joining in, clapping and using their feet. Everyone started singing 'Just a dream' along with Beca and Beca casually winked at Chloe. 

That wink made her stomach flutter it felt like she was going to pass out. It was hard to hide the feelings she had for Beca, for the group. 

Chloe hit the last note and she and Beca stared at each other for a second until Aubrey snapped them out of their trance.   
,,Hands in, aca-bitches." Aubrey turned to the group with a smile and put her hand in the middle. Everyone formed a circle around her and put their hand on Aubrey's. Chloe stood at Beca's right and rested her left hand Beca's lower back. They all sang 'ah', and this time it was finally a good one. All Bellas had a satisfied smile on their faces and they all went back to the rehearsing studio. 

Chloe wanted to tell Beca how cute it was what she just did. She wanted to cry in happiness but she couldn't tell Beca yet. They both had no idea how the others would react on their relationship. They wanted to wait for just a while longer. 

,,Okay ladies, finals are very soon, so we are going to shop clothes tomorrow! Beca, you know where we can get these clothes?" Beca nodded at Aubrey and then smiled.   
,,I have an idea. We can go into the city and go shopping. I hate shopping but it's alright if we're gonna eat somewhere. Makes everything better."   
,,Yeah! I know this great place where you can get burritos and-" Amy said with a lot of happiness in her voice. She clapped her hands and bounced up and down until Aubrey interrupted her.   
,,Yeah, yeah Amy. We know." Aubrey smiled and then turned to the group. 

,,Tomorrow, a bit later. You all deserve some rest. 11am sharp." Aubrey nodded and watched everyone leave. Chloe and Beca were about to leave when Aubrey called their names.   
,,Chloe, Beca! Wait. Can I have a word with you both?" Chloe and Beca exchanged a look as Aubrey's serious voice echoed through the empty pool. 

Aubrey knew what was going on between them. That's the first thing they thought of. 

,,Beca, could you wait around the corner for a minute?" Beca nodded. ,,Sure." She didn't expect Amy to still be there.   
,,Hey!" Beca jumped up and then smiled. ,,You scared me, dude!"   
,,Am I that scary?" Amy furrowed her brows. Beca shook her head and chuckled. ,,Kinda..."   
Amy stared at Beca with a grin for a second and pulled her in a tight hug, squeezing her close. 

,,I'm so happy you're back, aca-bitch! Aubrey was bossy and snarky this whole time. She wouldn't even let me eat my snack during rehearsal." Amy sighed dramatically.   
,,That's understandable."   
,,No, it's not!"   
,,She wants you to focus. She wants everybody to focus..." Beca shrugged and crossed her arms.   
,,Yeah... So what have you been up to? We haven't talked that much, but did you really work on those mixes the whole time?" Amy leaned against the wall. Beca glanced at Chloe and Aubrey for a second, who were standing a bit further away from them. Chloe's red long hair was so beautiful, the way her lips moved when she talks, her eyes and - 

,,Hello! Earth to Beca!" Amy waved a hand in front of Beca's face and Beca blinked her eyes.   
,,W-what?"   
,,You totally zoned out! Were you staring at Ginger?" Amy wiggled her eyebrows and smiled. Beca was frozen and didn't know if she should tell the truth or not. She knew Amy, and Amy was a blabber. 

But Amy was one of her best friends. 

,,I was. You know, I just think that Chlo is an attractive -"   
,,Chlo?" Amy wiggled her eyebrows and laughed.   
,,Yeah. I'm not the only one who calls her Chlo."   
,,Beca, I understand that you were looking at Chloe. She is pretty and you two would make a cute couple." Amy said, and gave a small wave and a wink. ,,I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow." 

Busted. Beca chuckled at herself. Typically something Amy would say. She was right though, they were a great couple. Even though no one knew about it just yet. James and Beca's dad were the only ones who knew, but they would never tell anyone without Beca or Chloe's permission. 

Beca heard footsteps behind her and turned. Chloe strode her way with a smile. ,,Aubrey apologized!" Beca pulled Chloe in for a hug. ,,That's great, Chlo. I'm happy for you."   
,,Me too." She said quietly. Chloe pulled back and spoke ,,Aubrey wants to have a word. I'll wait right here." Chloe winked and Beca walked toward Aubrey. Aubrey was now patiently waiting for Beca and she turned when Beca approached her. 

,,Hey Beca."   
,,... Hi." Beca stood in front of Aubrey, feeling awkward at first but that changed quickly. Aubrey pulled Beca in a hug and held her like that for a few seconds. 

Beca froze at first and then awkwardly rested her hands on Aubrey's back. She did not expect Aubrey to ever hug her. ,,I'm so sorry for everything, Beca... I mean it. I hope you can forgive me."   
Aubrey let Beca go and Beca nodded. ,,I can forgive you... There's just one thing I need you to do. Don't be too hard on Chloe."   
,,What do you mean?" Aubrey hasn't realized that she was snarky at Chloe.   
,,Chloe is a sensitive person. You snarked at her a few times and it hurt her. I'm not angry at you or something, but you really have to keep that in mind." 

Beca was pretty sure that that sounded rude. Aubrey nodded almost immediately with her eyes shut. ,,No, no it's good that you told me. Chloe just told me that too. I already knew but sometimes I can’t hold back and I just want people to know how I feel about things. I might be too direct sometimes. I’ve known Chloe for a long time and I know that she can‘t handle my outbursts. I apologized to her, and I also wanted to apologize to you." 

Wait... That's all? 

,,Thank you." Beca nodded and gave a small smile.   
,,I know that I've been hard on you. Winning is just so important to me. I like your mashup and the changes you want to make within the group. For me it's hard to make changes because this group has always been the same, in all the years I've been part of the group... I still have the pitch pipe, but I'm starting to be okay with the changes. We'll start tomorrow."   
,,Thank god, I worked so hard on this..." Beca breathed out a sigh of relief and walked backwards. 

,,I'll see you tomorrow." Aubrey nodded and Beca grabbed her bag as she practically ran towards Chloe, who was waiting around the corner. Chloe was leaning against the wall and her head snapped up when she saw Beca. ,,Hey, what did Aubrey say to y-" Beca pulled Chloe in a hug and buried her face in her hair. ,,She is okay with the changes I want to make!" Chloe looked aside and there was no one else, she pressed a quick kiss at Beca's lips. ,,Your ideas are great. How did you come up with ideas like that anyway?" They both walked towards Chloe's dorm, their arms brushing. 

Beca tapped the side of her head.   
,,Oh yeah? Are you that smart?" Chloe stuck out her tongue.   
,,Mhm." Beca said. Chloe opened the door to her dorm and smiled. ,,I bet." Chloe closed the door and Beca grinned at her.   
,,What?" Chloe asked. ,,Nothing, you're so beautiful..." 

Chloe grinned and walked towards Beca, their faces only inches apart. ,,I never thought you'd be a romantic person. That remix in the pool was so cute. I did not expect that you would do that for me."   
,,Oh? You thought I was doing that for you?" Beca winked.   
,,Yeah. Obviously."   
,,Thanks for not expecting me to be a romantic person though." Beca put her hands on her hips. Chloe chuckled and put her arms through the triangles her arms formed. She hugged Beca, but Beca kept her hands on her hips. Chloe noticed it and grabbed Beca's hands, moving them so they were around her. They stayed like that for a while until Chloe pulled back.   
,,So, what movie do you want to watch?"   
,,You forgot something." Beca pursed her lips and waited for Chloe to come back. She came closer slowly, their lips almost touching. 

,,Yeah, right! I forgot popcorn." Chloe pulled back and Beca grunted in response. ,,You're a pain."   
Chloe smiled, grabbing popcorn and filling a bowl. They both plopped down on Chloe's bed and Beca grabbed her laptop.   
,,You can choose a movie to celebrate. Just this time." Beca looked aside, Chloe was curled up on the bed by her side. ,,Oh yeah? Why don't you take me out on dinner instead?"   
Chloe chuckled. ,,Maybe another time."   
,,Good. It's a date."   
,,Duh." Beca pressed a quick kiss at Chloe's temple and then browsed through the genres. 

,,My dad knows about us." Beca suddenly exclaimed. Chloe sat up straight. ,,And? What did he say?"   
,,He was very happy for us. It was so good to hear that."   
,,... He wasn't surprised or shocked?" Chloe couldn't believe that Beca's dad reacted normally. She didn’t know her father-in-law yet.   
,,No. I have been with girls when I was younger... Do your parents know?" 

Chloe nodded and grabbed a handful of popcorn, looking at the screen.   
,,Yeah. I couldn't wait to tell them about you. I told them about us after a few days. They thought that we were together earlier because I told them so much about you."   
,,And?"   
,,They want to meet you." Beca smiled at that. ,,Glad they reacted like that. My dad really wants to meet you too."   
,,Oh, that's great! Maybe we could go out on dinner!" Chloe grabbed Beca's arm in excitement and put popcorn in Beca's mouth. 

,,Are we going to eat fries?" Beca said wit ha mouth ful of popcorn. Chloe looked disgusted. ,,No."   
,,Awww, come on! I'm the boss now!" Chloe put a finger up in the air. ,,Nope, you're still just a Bella. I'm the co-leader so that means that I'm the boss." Beca furrowed her brows. ,,Just a Bella?! Hey, I came up with these great ideas. And you're not right. Aubrey is the leader." 

,,We're both leaders. I'm the co-leader." Chloe winked and looked at the screen again. The cursor hovered over the Horror genre.   
,,Oh, no way!" Chloe slapped Beca's hand off the mousepad and she moved the cursor over to Romantic movies. Beca started making gagging sounds. 

,,Bec! These are nice!" Chloe let the cursor hover over some movies and she read the titles out loud, along with the movie description.   
,,Nope... Nope!" Beca tried, but Chloe clicked one of the movies and it was already loading. Beca quickly closed the movie.   
,,Come on... I've always wanted to watch this one!"   
,,Yeah, we're not going to watch this one. You can watch this kind of movies with Aubrey, but not with me. You said that I could choose a movie if I wanted, so horror it is." Beca went back to the horror genre and Chloe made disgusting faces at every movie title, description or picture. Beca looked aside and scanned Chloe's face. 

,,Don't look so disgusted, babe. I don't like it when your face is like this. Chloe closed her eyes and turned her head away as she saw another disgusting horror picture. ,,Then choose a movie from another genre!"   
,,Okay, fine." Beca clicked on thriller and found a nice movie. Chloe opened her eyes and grunted as she saw that Beca chose a movie from the thriller genre.   
,,This is even worse! No way, I heard of this one. I'm gonna hold you tight during this movie, Becs..."   
,,I don't mind at all." Beca grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed her mouth as the movie started playing. 

They were halfway through the movie and Beca had her hand around Chloe's shoulders. She was eating popcorn and Chloe was staring at the screen, wide eyed and with her hand in front of her mouth. ,,I can't look at this!" Suddenly the door opened, and Chloe moved away from Beca quickly. Aubrey entered the dorm.   
,,Are you watching a movie?"   
,,Yeah!" Chloe nodded and avoided the screen. Beca chuckled at that and shook her head.   
,,It's a horror movie. She’s not watching."   
,,Ew." Aubrey said. She quickly grabbed her bag and turned around.   
,,I'm gonna meet up with a friend. I'll see you two later... Have fun." Aubrey smiled and closed the door behind her. Chloe snuggled up close to Beca once the sound of footsteps disappeared, and put her arm around her waist. 

,,Does she know?"   
,,Hmm?" Chloe looked up.   
,,Does Aubrey know about, you know... Us? Does she know that we're together?"   
,,I don't think so."   
,,I think Amy suspects something though."   
Chloe frowned. ,,What? Why?"   
,,I was waiting for you when you were talking to Aubrey, and Amy was there with me. She caught me staring at you and she said that we would make a cute couple." Beca chuckled at herself and Chloe did too. 

,,She was right! And a part of me wants to tell them. I just want to hold hands with you in public." Chloe's hand grabbed Beca's and Beca laughed. ,,You always hold people's hands..."   
,,Not always..."   
,,You do. It's cute." Chloe pressed her lips against Beca's and smiled in the kiss.   
,,I am cute."   
,,Can’t disagree on that one." Beca replied and Chloe moved to snuggle close to her again. 

The movie ended after a while and Beca stood up to leave.   
,,I'll see you tomorrow!" Chloe jumped up and pulled Beca in a hug.   
,,See you tomorrow. Where are we going to meet up? Chloe shrugged her shoulders. ,,Probably in the studio... Or something like that. We're just gonna shop clothes and then practice. I can't wait to see what you had in mind!" Chloe jumped up and down in excitement and Beca turned to leave, just to tease Chloe. She turned back after leaving the dorm. Chloe put her hand on Beca's neck and pressed her lips against Beca's. 

They stared into each other's eyes for a while until Beca walked backwards with a grin and a wink. Chloe tilted her head to the side and watched Beca leave. She couldn't wait until the next day, but she knew that they would have to tell the other Bellas about their relationship soon.


	13. Chapter 13

Beca and the other Bellas were on their way and walked into a store. Beca greeted the owner and introduced the group to her.   
,,Hi Margaret... We have the finals soon and I was wondering if you have these kind of clothes." Beca told Margaret about her ideas and she listened with patience. 

,,I have a lot of clothes back here..." The whole group followed Margaret to the back of the store and she picked a few different outfits.   
,,For example, I have a few blouses and a few skinny jeans... I think you should wear a blouse and shorts to show off your legs." Margaret grabbed an outfit and handed it to Stacie. Stacie changed in a changing room in the back and Margaret searched fitting outfits for everyone else, looking at everyone’s posture as well. Beca specifically asked Margaret to pick different outfits for everybody. Beca actually wanted everybody to be able to choose their own outfits but Margaret really wanted to help the Bellas out. Beca let everyone choose their outfits, but with Margaret's advice. It was a good choice to use Margaret’s knowledge. 

Soon, everyone changed their clothes and everybody was curious to see each other. It was different than how they used to be dressed. They used to wear the same outfits but this would be the first time EVER with different clothes, in the Bellas history. How would Aubrey react to a change like this?   
Beca told Chloe and Aubrey that it would be a good idea to change, and she agreed. Everyone will be surprised, but Beca was sure they'd like it. 

Beca stepped out of the changing room and hasn’t seen the other Bellas yet. They were all ready and Amy started cheering as soon as she saw Beca. ,,Good choice, Beca! You look hot!" Chloe just blushed and looked down when she saw Beca, and they were both trying not to look at each other. It was not as easy as they thought it would be.   
Beca quickly scanned Chloe's body and then found Amy staring at her with her eyebrows raised. 

,,What?" Beca mouthed. Amy drew a heart in the air with her fingers and grinned. Nobody saw it but Beca did. 

,,We are gonna kick some ass at the finals!" Amy clapped her hands and the other Bellas started joining in.   
,,Definitely!" Chloe said happily.. Beca smiled and couldn't wait till the finals. She had been working on the mashups and today would be the first day to rehearse. Everybody loved it the other day. The only thing left to do was the choreography and the singing. 

Chloe wore a black top with a blazer, and blue pants. Beca herself wore a blue blouse and black pants. She rolled up her sleeves and smiled as she stared Chloe down. She was mesmerized by how Chloe looked in their new Bella clothes. 

All Bellas agreed to wear the outfits they had chosen. Aubrey wanted to drink something at a café near the shop they went to.   
,,How did you find this shop?" Jessica asked curiously and rested her elbows on the table. ,,Friend of my dad. She was honored when I asked her to help me picking outfits."   
,,I really like that we can finally pick our own outfit. I wonder what the audience thinks of it." Stacie said, but she shrugged. ,,I also liked the other outfit." Amy turned in her chair and sipped her drink.   
,,Pffft... You liked it because you wanted to show your bazookas to everyone." Amy gestured for her breasts and Stacie frowned. ,,... Bazookas?" 

,,Yeah. That's what I call mine." Amy looked down and Stacie rolled her eyes.   
,,I felt good in that outfit."   
,,I bet." Amy responded. 

,,Did you arrange all of this when you were kicked out or before you were kicked out?’’ Stacie asked Beca. Beca sipped her drink and shrugged her shoulders. ,,When I was kicked out. She was honored when I told her about us. Even if Aubrey decided not to give me another chance, I’d still tell you guys about the idea.’’ 

Aubrey suddenly downed her drink and stood up. ,,Next round?" The Bellas frowned at each other and Cynthia-Rose spoke. ,,You okay blondie?" Aubrey turned and nodded. ,,Yeah! Everything is perfectly fine!" Beca frowned at Aubrey. She quickly went to the bar to get another round. When she returned, Amy spoke again. 

,,Take it easy, princess. I really don't want to carry you home." Aubrey put the drinks om the table and sat down on her chair. ,,Why would you have to carry me home?"   
,,I don't want you to get drunk, sir."   
,,Are you gonna keep making up nicknames?"   
,,Depends."   
,,And why do you think I’m planning on getting drunk?" Aubrey spoke in a slightly panicked voice. The Bellas obviously noticed that this was a sign, that Aubrey was nervous. 

,,It’s okay, Aubrey. We're not only your friends, we’re also your therapists.’’ Amy sighs.   
,,I'm just nervous for the finals, okay... This is a good way to forget about that for a second."   
,,Aubrey... You talk about it like your cat died."   
,,I don't have a cat." Aubrey replied quickly, and Amy rolled her eyes with a loud sigh.   
‘’Just kidding. I can’t help that you can’t handle my jokes.’’   
Aubrey rolled her eyes again and decided to ignore Amy. 

Beca heard Chloe sigh next to her too. Beca could tell she was nervous as well, because winning this competition has been a big dream for her. Chloe purposely failed a class three times, Beca remembered. She wanted to stay within the group as long as possible and win at least once. Of course they didn't win it, because the Treblemakers beat them every time. They have always been the better ones. The audience’s favorite.   
Beca sighed as well. Jesse was one of the group members, and proud of it. He should be proud, because he was a really good singer and it seemed like the ladies were interested in him as well. Beca noticed that he could handle the audience pretty easily, and the first time Beca saw him perform it looked like he had done it more than once. 

The Treblemakers were very good and everyone loved them. This was going to be hard, the Bellas needed to blow everyone away. Beca's phone suddenly started buzzing. Chloe looked at her screen as well and saw Jesse's caller ID. ,,Are you gonna take that call?"   
,,Yeah." Beca slid the screen to accept the call and held the phone to her ear.   
,,Hi Jesse."   
,,Hey Becaw! Just saw you in the city! Watcha doing there?" Beca furrowed her brow and noticed that all Bellas were staring at her curiously. ,,Havin' a drink with the Bellas. Why? Are you stalking me?"   
,,I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie with me tonight. In my dorm. Just us, it'll be fun." Beca heard the excitement in Jesse's voice and was sure Chloe heard it, because she felt Chloe shift nervously next to her. Beca closed her eyes for a second and sighed quietly before responding. ,,I'm sorry, I can't tonight... I have something." 

,,What?"   
,,Dinner with the Bellas. Sorry."   
,,Well, okay then. Tomorrow, maybe?"   
,,Jesse, I have no idea if you're asking me on a date or something like that but I don't want to go on a date with you."   
,,What?! Why not!" Jesse was clearly disappointed after hearing this from Beca.   
,,Because I friend-zoned you earlier and you know it. Gotta go, talk to you later."   
,,What? But Beca, what are -"   
Beca ended the call with a sigh and felt Chloe's hand on her knee immediately to give her a squeeze. 

,,He wanted to go on a date with you?" Chloe asked and Beca nodded. ,,Still wants. You all heard everything?" The Bellas nodded.   
,,...You should turn your volume down." Aubrey spoke.   
,,He is so weird..."   
,,Yeah..." Chloe spoke quietly.   
,,Every guy on campus is interested in you, Beca! First Luke and now Jesse!"   
Beca frowned. ,,Luke has never been interested in me. And even if it’s true, they’re not everyone."   
,,But you'd like that right?" Stacie spoke and wiggled her eyebrows. ,,I heard he has a nice sixpack."   
,,Uhm yeah, he showed me... But I'm not interested in him, Stac."   
,,Oh. Well, I'll take him then." Stacie ran a hand through her hair and smiled. She was even more curious when Beca told her that he showed her his sixpack.   
,,You take every good looking guy you see."   
,,Duh... Amy, when are you going on a date with that Bumper though?" Stacie asked Amy, and her face turned red. 

,,I'm. Not. Going. To!" Amy said through gritted teeth and avoided anyone's eyes. Especially Aubrey's. Everyone knew how Aubrey handled Bellas who had a 'sexual relationship' with a Treble. Beca was the only one who knew that Amy really liked Bumper, that was obvious. The others liked teasing her, they didn’t know how Amy truly felt. 

~~~~~~ 

Eventually it was time to go, all Bellas headed home and went their own ways. Beca carried the big bag with the outfits in it and wanted to walk towards the studio when she heard running behind her. 

,,Hey! Do you need help?" Chloe started walking next to her and smiled at her. ,,No, it's fine. It's not that heavy." Chloe nodded and said ,,Okay." She kept walking next to Beca. Beca grinned at herself, of course Chloe wanted to walk with her. She wanted to be with Beca anytime possible. They both walked into the studio and Beca walked to the back and dropped the bag. Chloe followed her and stopped behind her, wrapping her arms around Beca's waist. 

,,I was hoping for some alone time with you today..." Beca smiled and turned, and pressed her lips against Chloe's. ,,Me too... So, you looking forward to the finals?" Chloe shrugged and looked past Beca for a second. ,,Yeah... Nervous. But I'm so happy that we finally chose our outfits and that we changed stuff!'' 

Beca smiled and squeezed Chloe's hands for a second. ,,I do too. I'm glad I have been able to make a change. I just wanted us to be a bit more original than we used to be. I mean come on, people dozed off during the performances and called us ‘flight attendants’. Everyone pretty much made fun of us. We don't want to be called ‘flight attendants’ or something like that. We need to be original and I rather have people call us sexy or unique, than flight attendants.'' 

Beca smiled at Chloe who pulled Beca to her by her belt. Beca stayed a few inches away and smiled. ,,Which is what you are.'' Beca laughed. ,,A flight attendant?'' Chloe shook her head and chuckled. ,,No, idiot! Sexy. That's what you are.'' Chloe winked and Beca pressed her lips against Chloe's. Chloe smiled in the kiss, because this kiss was really something. 

The way Chloe kissed her back was more intense. She walked Beca to one of the couches in the studio and climbed in her lap. Before Beca realized she had her hands moved from Chloe's hips, up, coming a bit closer to her breasts. Chloe pulled away slightly and gasped, and Beca moved her hand away. ,,I'm sorry Chlo..'' Chloe didn't say anything, she just grabbed Beca's hand and played with her hand. Chloe let out a shaky sigh and Beca brought Chloe's hand up to her lips to kiss it. ,,What is it?'' Chloe kept looking down and sighed one more time. ,,I'm sorry... I've never had someone who’s being so amazing for me.'' 

,,What do you mean?'' Beca laced her fingers with Chloe’s. Chloe looked into Beca's eyes and gave her a small smile. ,,I... I really want you to touch me but I'm just not used to it. Do you remember Tom?’’ Beca nodded, of course she heard about him. 

,,Becs, I’m not afraid of you but he makes me afraid. He once tried to touch me like that so it all flashed back to that moment… I do trust you a lot I hope you know that, he just terrifies me. It makes me think about that time.’’ Beca nodded and brought Chloe closer to give her a kiss. ,,Hey... I love you. I’m always here. I understand that it scares you.'' 

Chloe actually gave her a big smile and nodded. ,,I love you.'' Beca smiled and then pulled Chloe up with her. This was their first I love you. Beca did love Chloe so much. She'd do anything to protect her, and she thought it would be good to tell her she loved Chloe. Chloe needed the confirmation right on that moment. Chloe felt happy leaving the studio, because of that Beca told her. Beca’s reaction made her feel less guilty. She did feel bad for rejecting physical contact again, because she wanted it so bad. She knew it wouldn’t take long for it to happen. 

They left the bag with the outfits in the studio and left. The weather was good outside and Chloe grabbed Beca’s hand. 

,,Let's go walk around the park!’’ Beca laughed as she put her arm around Chloe's shoulders, letting go of her hand. That sounded like a good idea to her. ,,I just want you snuggled against me.'' Chloe tickled Beca's sides which made her jump away a little. ,,No! Don't you dare!'' They kept walking but Chloe kept tickling her sides. Beca tried to run away but Chloe quickly wrapped her arms around Beca's waist, and pressed a kiss at the crook of her neck. 

But what they did not see was Bumper looking at them from a distance.


	14. Chapter 14

Chloe felt the warm sun on her face and slammed her alarm shut, pulling the blankets over her head further. ,,Good morning Chloe!'' Aubrey said. Chloe didn't say anything, she just grunted and stayed in her bed. Suddenly she heard her phone buzz and grabbed it. She was still sleep drunk. It was 9am. The Bellas got late practice today, starting at 2pm. 

Good morning Beale. I'm waiting for you and I ordered pizza. So if you want some you can come over. If you decide to be lazy, I’ll eat the pizza myself. X 

Chloe burst out laughing. Pizza this early? She always thought this would be something Beca would typically do. Chloe tapped out a quick reply, telling her she’d be there in ten minutes. She looked at Aubrey, who raised her eyebrows. ,,Is it starting this early already?'' She winked at Chloe after that and Chloe just shook her head. ,,Yes. It's Beca.'' Aubrey sighed and shook her head. ,,What's with you two?'' Chloe felt her face turn red, and decided to cover her face again. She heard Aubrey come closer and she pulled the blanket off Chloe's head. 

,,What's with you two, Chlo? You know you can tell me anything.'' Chloe smiled at that but knew she couldn’t say anything. She really didn't want Aubrey to give her opinion on that, or possibly kick one or both of them out of the group. Chloe already knew that Aubrey gave Beca a second change. Possibly the last one. And what if she wasn't okay with it? 

Chloe swallowed and smiled. ,,Nothing. We're just friends.'' 

Saying this made Chloe feel bad, but she didn't have a choice. Being in this group was her dream. And still is. She started singing when she was really young. She sang everywhere she was. In the grocery store, at home, in the shower, everywhere. She started singing lessons and also sang when she was in high school. She loved singing and performing. She did a few small performances when she was younger but these stopped once she joined the Bella's. 

She would choose the Bellas above everything. It's so much fun. The girls in the group are amazing. Of course, not everyone has as much experience as Aubrey and Chloe... But they all love what they're doing. And that's the most important thing. 

Aubrey likes being a leader in the group. When the old Bellas leader left, she handed the pitch pipe over to Aubrey. She was honored, and took her best friend with her. Chloe was happy to assist her best friend, and okay with her leading the group. But the other Bellas nowadays, had found out that Aubrey has a, not always effective way of leading the group. They were truly thankful for having her around, though. 

Chloe got up and got dressed. ,,I’m gonna go Chloe. I’ll be back. I need to get something from the Treblemakers.’’ Chloe chuckled. ,,What could you possibly get from them?’’ Aubrey rolled her eyes. ,,I don’t know. Bumper asked me to come to their house to retrieve something. So I’m not sure.’’ 

Chloe laughed even harder. ,,Well, be careful. He’s crazy.’’ Aubrey opened the door with a sigh and shook her head. They said bye and Chloe was left alone in her dorm. 

She still didn’t understand why Beca didn’t want to be in the group at first. Beca didn’t like lots of people, but she was so talented! Chloe always pushed her to share her talent with the world. She was glad that she told Beca to audition a while ago. They wouldn’t be where they were now, if she hadn’t done that. 

She was just about to go to Beca’s when she heard a knock on the door. Chloe walked to the door with a smile. ,,Beca, I told you I’d come to your dorm, why are –‘’ 

Chloe got cut off by a pair of lips pressed against hers. She had her eyes wide open. This wasn’t a sweet, soft kiss… This wasn’t Beca… Chloe tried to push the figure off her but he was too strong. This smell… She remembered it. This wasn’t Beca… 

It was Tom. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca thought that Chloe would be at her dorm already. Where was she? She waited for fifteen minutes… It took her longer than usual. What if something happened to her? Chloe would call or text her if she’d be later. Beca decided to get up and go to Chloe’s dorm. 

She left her dorm quickly, still wondering what was going on. She had a bad feeling about this, and she didn’t know why. But whenever Beca had to trust on her feelings, she was right. This time, she rushed into the hallway where Chloe and Aubrey’s dorm was. 

She reached Chloe’s dorm and knocked on the door impatiently. ,,Chlo?’’ She heard mumbling at the other side. ,,Open the door, what’s going on?’’ Beca’s heart started beating like crazy. This wasn’t good at all. She had to open the door. Now. 

Beca took a few steps back and rushed forward, kicking against the door. A splintering pain went through her leg, but she felt like something was wrong with her girlfriend. Beca took a few steps back again and kicked against the door again. At the wrong timing. 

She heard footsteps from the side, and turned her head to see two men running toward her. Campus police. Of course. ,,Help me and open this goddamn door!’’ Beca’s blood was boiling. Her girlfriend was in danger and these men were about to arrest her. She wasn't sure what was going on at the other side of the door. One thing was for sure, it was Chloe. But who else was in there? 

Beca stepped back and wanted to kick the door again, but someone grabbed her from the side and held her back. ,,Open the goddamn door!'' Beca shouted, and looked at the man who just held her back. ,,We will open the door for you.'' Beca's heart started pounding and she felt the tears burning in her eyes. ,,Now!’’ She shouted again. What if something happened to Chloe? 

With a crack the door swung open and Beca pushed through the men who helped her, to find Chloe on her bed. Tom was trying to kiss her. She ran to him and clenched her fists, ready to punch him but instead one of the guards pulled him off Chloe. The campus police held his arms so he couldn't go anywhere. Beca walked past him and looked him in the eyes. He was obsessed with her. They both knew he liked Chloe, but not this much. He was known for his good looks. But he wasn't known for stalking someone to the point he got obsessed. 

No means no. And Beca knew that Chloe has said no many times. She is not interested in him whatsoever. Which is what she had told him many times already. The police checked him and one of them found something in his pocket. ,,He’s on drugs.’’ He showed his coworker and then looked back at Chloe and Beca. 

Beca came to sit on Chloe's bed and before she could do anything, she felt Chloe's arms wrap around her waist and her face buried in her neck. They watched the Campus police leave with Tom soon, and they were left alone. They'd come back later, to finish everything up. 

Beca held Chloe tight and then moved away a little to look at her. Chloe grabbed her hand and put her other one on Beca's cheek. She was crying and held onto Beca as if she’d leave forever. 

They just stayed quiet like that. Chloe turned to look at Beca and she gave her a weak smile. ,,I… I –‘’ 

,,Shh… You don’t have to say a thing.’’ Beca stroked Chloe’s cheek softly and brushed her tears away with her thumb. Chloe decided not to say anything. 

Beca was furious. She wasn’t like that often, but whenever it happened people should stand out of her way. He harassed her girlfriend. This whole time Beca thought it was just someone that liked Chloe. LIKED. She couldn’t believe that this happened. 

‘’All I did was touching her’’ is what he said, before he was taken away. All he did was touching her? That doesn’t mean that she actually liked it. How stupid of him to do that. Beca knew exactly what to do. She was so mad, she was about to approach Tom’s friend group to try to find him and to handle it herself. But she knew that she’d be in trouble. 

,,Do you want me to call your parents?’’ Beca stroked Chloe’s hair and she held her close to her. Chloe responded with a slight nod. 

,,I'm sorry... I didn't think that he did this. I feel so stupid for letting him in... I thought it was you a- and when I saw it was him I wanted him to go but I'm not as strong as he is... Are you mad at me for doing that? I mean, I would understand it but still, I just didn't know what to do and -'' 

Beca put both her hands on Chloe's cheeks and she had a worried look, staring into the teary blue eyes of Chloe. Her thumb brushed Chloe's cheek softly. 

,,Chlo, I would never be mad at you for something like this. You couldn't do anything about it. And I love you... Hey don't worry.'' Chloe leaned in closer to her girlfriend and kissed her. Beca wiped her tears off and then let her hands go down to give Chloe's hands a soft squeeze. Chloe unlocked her phone and dialed her dad's phone number, handing it over to Beca. 

Chloe watched her girlfriend call her parents and a weak smile appeared on her face. She was thankful for Beca. She listened to their conversation and was pulled out of her thoughts when Beca ended the phone call and turned to Chloe. ,,You parents will be here soon... How are you feeling?’’ Chloe shook her head and stood up. ,,I don’t know... I feel nasty. I can smell his scent on me...’’ She rushed into the bathroom and Beca heard the shower running. She decided to just wait in the room and scroll on her phone lazily. She didn’t know what she was reading or seeing, because she was too focused on earlier. 

Beca jumped up when she heard someone running through the hallway, stopping by the dorm door. She looked around her and grabbed the first, possibly dangerous weapon for intruders. The door opened and a livid blonde entered the room. ,,Where is he!’’ Beca let out a sigh of relief and lowered her weapon. Aubrey cocked an eyebrow and stared Beca down. ,,Why are you holding our trophy?’’ Beca looked down at it. ‘1st place: Barden Booze Competition’ 

,,What even is that?’’ Aubrey rested her hand on her forehead, sighing, with her eyes closed. ,,We won the drinking competition at the Trebles house a year ago. It's an official competition to this University. Taking different shots from different body parts.’’ Beca pulled a disgusted face. ,,Ew. That's gross.’’ Aubrey sighed and walked toward the bathroom. ,,Tell me about it. Chloe! What the hell was that idiot thinking!’’ Beca heard Chloe mumbling from the bathroom. She couldn’t help but blush at the fact that Chloe was in there, naked. She listened at their conversation, hoping Chloe would feel better soon. 

A bit later, Chloe came out of the shower, hair all done because Aubrey used the hairdryer. Chloe walked in already dressed, and stood in front of the mirror, doing her makeup. She was telling her part of the story as if it’s nothing. Beca felt like Chloe had overcome the biggest shock, but she still had anger in her voice. Which Beca and Aubrey couldn’t blame her for. 

,,Were you here when it happened?’’ Beca eyed Aubrey. ,,Well, of course not, otherwise I would have punched the light out of his eyes. I got here a bit after Tom got here, I guess.’’ Chloe turned to pick her makeup and she turned back to put it on. Beca looked back at Aubrey, who totally caught her staring. ,,Everything okay, Mitchell?’’ Beca squinted her eyes and nodded. ,,I am. I just hope Chloe is.’’ Chloe turned and put her makeup back, checking her hair once more. ,,Hm?’’ 

A knock on the door interrupted their talking. Chloe opened the door to find a man and woman, who brushed past her, and scanned the dorm. ,,We’re worried, Chloe. What happened?’’ An older copy of Chloe said. Chloe looked more like her father. Her father made eye contact with Beca and smiled. ,,You must be Beca. I’m Edward.’’ Beca shook his hand with a smile, turning to Chloe’s mother after. ,,I’m Beca, nice to meet you both.’’ 

,,Nice to meet you, too! I’m Julia.’’ Another cheery voice said, Chloe’s mother. They all turned to Chloe after that, Beca hoping that they wouldn’t ask anything about their relationship, with Aubrey around. 

,,Tom liked me, of course, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad. Apparently, he was on drugs.’’ Beca looked at her feet, not knowing where else to look at. She was still pissed. Aubrey studied Beca’s face as she listened to what Chloe was telling her parents. Beca stood up eventually, she couldn’t listen to what happened anymore. She wanted to be here for Chloe, but it was too much for Beca to handle at the moment. All eyes turned to her when she grabbed her coat. Chloe's eyes were big and Beca could look into those eyes forever, but this time she sighed and walked toward the door. 

,,I need to go... It was nice meeting you. Aubrey, Chloe, I’ll see you later okay?’’ They both nodded. ,,I’ll cancel practice for today. We'll see you tomorrow.’’ Chloe shook her head. ,,No... Please don’t cancel practice. It's a good distraction.’’ Chloe walked into Beca’s arms. ,,Thank you...’’ She whispered, letting go of Beca and looking into her eyes for a second before turning back to the others. She didn’t want it to be suspicious to Aubrey. Beca closed the door behind her, and felt a tear roll down her cheek. How could he. She was ready to find his friends, ask them where Tom was, and take care of it herself. 

Beca decided to go to the studio to practice some choreography. She hasn’t done much for the final performance yet, but she wanted to come up with stuff, to show the others. She knew that the responsibility was in her hands, since she came up with new ideas. With that, Beca walked into the empty studio. One side of the whiteboard was empty, she didn’t want to erase Aubrey’s notes. She'd probably be livid if that would happen. Beca unlocked her phone to find a nice song to play. She decided to start with Titanium, by David Guetta. She couldn’t help but smile and shake her head at what Chloe told her earlier. Her lady jam... Beca shook her head again, trying to turn her focus to their final performance. But she had to admit, it was hard not to think about Chloe. 

Beca had a couple hours before the Bellas would enter the studio. Her worry about Chloe never left her mind, but she sure had inspiration when it came to the finals.


	15. Chapter 15

,,Your girlfriend looks hot!’’ Chloe smacked her mother’s arm. She was glad that Aubrey had left the dorm a short while ago, but she wanted to keep the obvious to herself for a while. ,,I know, right? But shhhhh, please don’t say it like that. Other people could hear you.’’ Julia and Edward exchanged a look and smiled at their daughter. ,,They won’t know who your girlfriend is.’’ Chloe rolled her eyes. 

,,Maybe not... Aubrey just doesn’t know yet.’’ Edward sighed. ,,Why not? You can be proud of this. Also, she sounded sweet when she called us.’’ 

,,She is! But I don’t know what Aubrey will think of it. I've never told her something like this before. Beca is sweet, but she and Aubrey don’t... Click yet. Because of a couple things that happened.’’ Chloe put her coat on and zipped it up. ,,Nothing bad, I hope?’’ Chloe sighed and opened the door. ,,Not really bad, no, but I hope they will become friends!’’ Chloe smiled and let her parents out, following them. She felt weird and afraid, she didn’t want to run into Tom again. Although she was pretty sure he’d still be at the police station. Things like these happened more often, and campus police is strict on it. They'd usually keep them there for a day, and sometimes they even get expelled. Chloe hoped that that last option would happen. Her saying that is rare, but she was absolutely right. 

Chloe said goodbye to her parents and walked toward the studio. They would meet the others there. She felt excited seeing Beca again. It's been a couple of hours and she already missed her. There’s no denying that she was crazy about her. Chloe’s hard leaped out of her chest and she inhaled and exhaled sharply before entering the studio. She wanted to hold Beca. She wanted her to comfort her. She felt good with her. With those thoughts, she opened the door of the studio, closing it behind her quietly. She saw Beca write something on the whiteboard, then bending over the table to read something down, or write something. She couldn’t see what she was doing. 

Chloe approached her slowly and Beca stood up straight again, practiced a part of choreography, then talked to herself and wrote on the whiteboard. Chloe chuckled and came to a stop behind Beca, wrapping her arms around her waist. 

Beca tensed and spun around quickly, her face turning from shock to relief once she saw it was only Chloe. ,,God damn it, Chlo. Don't scare me like that.’’ Chloe didn’t say anything, she came closer to Beca and pressed her lips against hers. Chloe took Beca by surprise, by slightly opening her mouth to give Beca access. Beca pulled back and looked into Chloe’s eyes. 

,,Chlo, are you okay?’’ Chloe nodded eagerly and bit her lip. ,,I'm okay. I just want to have you close to me...’’ Beca stared into Chloe’s eyes, not doing anything. She had a feeling that Chloe was about to rush into things she wasn’t ready for, yet. Beca wanted Chloe. Desperately, but she would blame herself if she’d rush her into something. Besides that, practice was about to start. Anyone could walk in. 

Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe, feeling her return the hug. Chloe felt like she could beat the whole world, with just the two of them. She felt at ease. 

A door opening caused both of them to jump away from each other. Chloe looked at the ground, she pretended that she was just looking at whatever Beca was doing, and Beca fidgeted with the marker she was holding in her hand. ,,Hey Ginger and Brownie! What have you two been up to? Don't go hard on me today boss, I just woke up.’’ Amy plopped down in a chair and stared at the whiteboard. ,,Just woke up? What have you been up to?’’ Beca exclaimed and laughed at Amy. ,,Oh, nothing crazy. Just trained my cardio. I knew you’d go hard on us today.’’ Amy winked and Chloe shook her head. ,,Well, absolutely. She wants us to win. I think we all do.’’ The door opened again and everyone else walked in. ,,See? My cardio is already better. I got here before everyone else.’’ Amy gave herself a pat on the shoulder and waited for everyone to take a seat. Chloe took a seat as well and winked at Beca. It took a few seconds before Beca broke eye contact. 

,,Uhm... Hi everyone. Welcome back to practice... I don’t really know how to do this, but here we go. As you can see, I have written stuff on the board. I think I created a little bit of choreography. I mean, I hope you all like it. The finals are in two weeks, we should be able to get ready in a short amount of time. If we all stay focused, the singing and choreography shouldn’t be that hard...’’ Beca gestured for everyone to stand up. She walked over to her phone to connect it with the speakers, and played her mashup. The Bellas came to stand behind Beca. Beca caught Chloe staring her down in the mirror and then made eye contact with her. Chloe cleared her throat and couldn’t hide a smile when Beca started singing and dancing along with the mashup she had created. 

Beca felt good doing the part of the dance she had created, and she turned around once she was done with the part she already had. The Bellas looked at her with a smile, and Aubrey walked over to Beca to stand right next to her. ,,Okay Bellas! This is something I’ll have to get used to, but I have to admit that Beca has done a good thing for us. We'll be back in five minutes, please take a short break.’’ Aubrey grabbed Beca’s forearm and dragged her away with her, toward a corner in the studio, out of everyone’s earshot. She spun around as soon as they reached it, looking over Beca’s shoulder to make sure no one followed them. 

,,What is going on, Aubrey? Why are you being so weird just now?’’ Aubrey looked into Beca’s eyes, shaking her head. ,,I knew it.’’ 

Beca frowned and shrugged her shoulders. ,,Knew what? Do you not like my choreography or my music? Next time just tell me right away, because I hate it when people -’’ 

,,You and Chloe.’’ Aubrey crossed her arms and noticed that Beca’s face turned pale. Beca didn’t know where to look. She tried to explain herself and deny it, but she started stuttering. ,,I... I don’t know what you mean. Me and Chloe... We- we're just close friends, you know? I don’t know why you think that we -’’ 

,,Bumper saw you both.’’ Beca frowned at Aubrey. She failed at explaining herself. ,,Bumper? Where and when?’’ Aubrey looked up at the ceiling and shook her head. ,,A couple days ago. You two left the studio together. I think it was the day where we went shopping. He saw that Chloe gave you a kiss.’’ 

,,Have you talked to Chloe about this?’’ Beca crossed her arms as well. She didn’t like the tone in Aubrey’s voice. ,,Not yet. I wanted to discuss this with you first. You have to do whatever you want to do, I just don’t like finding out this way. I'd rather have you both tell me.’’ Beca was surprised that Aubrey wasn’t mad about this. She felt good about her finding out. She just didn’t like that Bumper told her. And Chloe had no idea that her best friend knew about it. 

,,Bumper told me when I told you and Chloe I had to get something from them. It turned out he just wanted to tell me this. I didn’t expect it.’’ Beca sighed and turned to walk back to the group, Aubey walking next to her. 

,,Perfectly fine, as long as you keep this to yourself for now. We'll tell others whenever we feel ready.’’ 

,,I'm pretty sure Bumper has already told the Trebles. Including Jesse. So don’t go mad if he asks you any questions.’’ Beca gave her a slight nod and turned back to the Bellas, not wanting to talk about any of that anymore for now. Chloe didn’t know anything about what they just discussed. She'd probably panic when she finds out. Beca tried hard not to get distracted, but a couple things played a big role in her concentration that day. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca left the studio in disbelief. She'd have to go find Bumper soon. Their house was close to the studio. Beca took big steps, angrily, she knew that the Bellas were all up to something else, so no one could follow her. She and Aubrey had been exchanging looks with each other during the rest of the performance. She wasn’t sure if Aubrey’s reaction was a good or a bad one. It'll probably take time for her to get used to it, and eventually she’ll be okay with everything. 

Beca reached the Trebles house and opened the door, finding the Trebles on a huge L-shaped couch. Bumper was standing in front of the group, showing them a dance and making weird sounds. They all laughed at what they were looking at, but Beca wasn’t amused. She grabbed a taller Bumper by his collar and walked him back until he was against the wall. 

,,What the hell were you thinking?!’’ He held his hands up and showed Beca to calm down. ,,Don’t go loco on me, Mitchell. It’s okay, really. I can’t help that you two like to make out like that in the middle of campus.’’ The Trebles started laughing, except for Jesse. Beca felt like that this time, that was a good thing. If he also knew about them being together, he’d know that there would be no chance of him getting in the way of that. 

,,Jesse also found out that he’s not attractive enough for you, relax. He won’t bother you anymore.’’ Beca shook her head at what Bumper said. She would be satisfied if he actually stopped pushing her to go on a date, but she didn’t want anyone’s words to hurt him. She looked at Jesse to see him avoiding anyone’s stare, clearly in thoughts. Beca came closer to Bumper once again. ,,I swear, if you ever talk shit about us, or actually any of the Bellas, you’ll be in trouble.’’ Beca let go of Bumper’s collar and marched out of the room, leaving everyone speechless. ,,Damn, that girl could fuck anyone up.’’ one of the Trebles said. Beca closed the door behind her, and walked back to campus. 

~~~~~~ 

,,Shit.’’ Beca said. She pulled her hood over her head once the rain started falling. The weather didn’t match with Beca. Rain never did. She had no idea where this came from. Beca ran back to her dorm. She had been out for some research on internships and jobs. She couldn’t find anything yet though, but she knew that Luke would help her on that. Her new internship would start in months, so she had some time left. 

The Bellas worked hard, practicing the finals. Tomorrow was the big day. The final performance, they’d claim the national title if they won. Beca smiled at the thought. She couldn’t believe that the girls needed her in the group. She was never the one who liked compliments. Simply because she didn’t like spotlights. She was thankful, that for sure, but she’d rather stay on the backgrounds. Which had turned out to be impossible, since she got popular within the group. 

She hung her coat up on the coatrack and walked toward the mirror to fix her hair. Her cardio was bad... She was happy to be training it, but it was worse than she thought. She had to run anyway, Chloe would come over again. Kimmy Jin had texted Beca that she would be home for the weekend. They had a week off, but the finals were the next day. The most students had left the campus, but the Bellas stayed. 

Beca squealed in excitement once she heard a knock on her door. She opened the door to reveal a redhead with a wide smile on her face. She closed the door behind her and Chloe walked into the bathroom. ,,Oh my gosh, how do I look?’’ Beca chuckled and plopped down on her bed, resting on her elbows. ,,Stunning, as always.’’ Chloe shook her head and chuckled. Beca watched as Chloe checked herself in the mirror. She was wearing jeans, a zip up hoodie, and sneakers. ,,Not always, but thanks Bec. I had to check, because I didn’t think that the weather would-’’ Chloe made eye contact with Beca and smiled. ,,What are you looking at?’’ Beca shook her head. ,,My girlfriend, geez. Am I allowed to do that?’’ 

,,Of course.’’ Chloe approached Beca and plopped down on the bed. They both turned to lie on their sides so that they were facing each other. Beca brushed a strand of hair out of Chloe’s face, smiling at her and biting the inside of her cheek. ,,What?’’ Chloe whispered, glaring down at Beca’s lips. Beca shook her head slowly, connecting the distance between them. 

Chloe smiled in the kiss and moved closer to Beca, her lips never leaving Beca’s. Beca wanted to touch Chloe, but she hesitated, realizing what happened with Tom. Maybe it would scare her. But maybe it wouldn’t. She decided to slowly put her hand on Chloe’s hip. Chloe smiled in the kiss right away, and that made Beca chuckle nervously. Chloe pulled back a bit more. ,,Why are you laughing like that?’’ Beca shook her head. ,,I don’t know... I just want to take it slow with you.’’ 

Chloe shook her head and her hand found Beca’s. Both their hearts were leaping out of their chests, when Chloe slowly guided Beca’s hand up, resting just under her breasts. Beca’s eyes met Chloe’s, and Chloe bit her lip. Beca swore that her eyes turned more intense than they already were. Beca moved her hand up to unzip Chloe’s zip up hoodie slowly, looking into her eyes. ,,It’s okay. I want you to touch me.’’ She whispered, guiding Beca’s hand back once she fully unzipped her hoodie. Beca stopped when she rested her hand right under her breasts. 

,,Chloe... I mean it. I don’t want you to do stuff you’re not-’’ Beca was cut off when soft lips connected with hers. Chloe’s hand found hers and gave her hand a squeeze, showing her that she was okay with it. Beca moved her hand to the hem of Chloe’s shirt and then under it slowly, touching her skin. It made Chloe tense a little, but she relaxed right after that. She moved her hand up slowly and gasped once she reached Chloe’s breasts. She rested her hand on them and gave a soft squeeze, which made Chloe gasp. Chloe started kissing Beca a bit more intensely, gasping under her touch. Chloe sat up straight to take her hoodie off completely, then her shirt, slowly, with her back turned towards Beca. 

Beca watched her girlfriend who was sitting on her bed with only jeans and a bra on. Chloe turned back to Beca and smiled as Beca stared her down again. ,,I didn’t think you’d be shy.’’ She said, and Beca shook her head. ,,Just mesmerized.’’ She pulled Chloe back to her and climbed on top of her. Beca brought her hand behind Chloe’s back and unclasped her bra with one hand in a split second. Chloe started laughing and helped Beca take it off slowly. ,,How did you do that so quickly!’’ Beca pulled Chloe in for a long kiss. ,,Your turn to try it on me.’’ She stared Chloe down and let her hands explore Chloe’s upper body, connecting her lips with Chloe’s neck and kissing down her front slowly. 

Chloe let out a soft moan once Beca reached her breasts, stopping there for a second and then she went down a bit further. Her eyes connected with Chloe’s, she smiled and before she knew it, she was taking Chloe’s jeans off slowly. Chloe was only left in underwear when she gestured for Beca to come back to her. Chloe pulled her close to kiss her again. ,,I can’t get enough of your lips.’’ She exclaimed, and then moved to take Beca’s shirt off slowly. Beca smiled as Chloe’s fingertips ran over her front and then to her back, finding the clasp of her bra. She couldn’t hide a smile, watching the way her girlfriend tried to do the same thing she just did to her. 

,,You’re making me nervous if you look at me like that.’’ Beca laughed at what Chloe said and Chloe unclasped it right after she said it. Her eyes waited curiously, never leaving Beca’s front as she took her bra off. She gasped once they were both left topless, and she pulled Beca close again, their fronts touching, her hands going down Beca’s front. ,,I want to give you something you deserve...’’ That took Beca by surprise, because she knew exactly what Chloe meant. Chloe kissed Beca and made her lie down on the bed, taking her pants off. Beca wondered where Chloe got the confidence, when she started planting kisses down Beca’s front, stopping at the hem of her underwear. 

,,Have you done this before?’’ Beca pushed herself up on her elbows, staring down at Chloe, who looked at her. ,,No. I just feel confident when I’m around you. It feels normal.’’ Beca bit her lip and gasped as Chloe started planting kisses at her inner thigh, taking her underwear off slowly. Beca’s breathing started picking up a faster pace as she was left naked, her girlfriend winking at her and kissing up her thighs, not wasting time, and connecting her mouth right where Beca wanted it. 

A moan escaped Beca’s mouth, she covered her mouth right away. She didn’t expect it to leave her mouth like that. Chloe hesitated, but started using her tongue slowly and looked up at Beca who had her eyes closed in pleasure. Beca ran her hand through Chloe’s hair and moaned once again when she felt Chloe slip a finger inside her. ,,Chloe...’’ Chloe smiled and looked up at Beca, crawling back to her and kissing her, but her finger never stopped moving in and out of her. Beca brought her hand down Chloe’s body, and started circling her fingers. The moan that escaped Chloe’s mouth made a shiver go down Beca’s spine. 

They felt so good doing this, Beca felt satisfied giving Chloe a feeling of trust. She knew how important trust is in a relationship. And she couldn’t be more thankful with this girl. She wasn’t lying when she told Chloe she was mesmerized. Anyone would kill to be with Chloe. And she got lucky. 

,,Don’t stop...’’ Chloe was panting, her arms wrapped around Beca’s neck, forehead resting against Beca’s. Beca smiled and kissed Chloe, until she felt she was at the edge. She broke the kiss and a moan escaped her mouth, as she lied back on the bed, pulling Chloe on top of her. She heard that Chloe was close too. Beca pushed a finger in Chloe and watched as Chloe pressed her lips against hers, hard, desperately wanting to reach what Beca had just reached. ,,Keep going, Beca...’’ She practically begged her, Beca felt Chloe’s hips move against her hand, until she reached the edge, and buried her face in the crook of Beca’s neck, trying to catch her breath. She moved to lie next to Beca, wrapping one arm around her waist. 

,,Oh my gosh...’’ Chloe sniffed. Beca opened her eyes with a frown, looking into teary blue eyes. She rested her hand on Chloe’s cheek, searching her eyes and wondering what was going on. ,,Are you okay Chlo?’’ Chloe nodded and smiled through her tears. 

,,I just can’t believe how I got so lucky...’’ Beca chuckled and brushed her tears away with her thumb, making Chloe look at her. ,,Hey. You deserve to feel that way. Come here.’’ Beca opened her arms to invite Chloe for a hug. They moved to lie under the blankets, Beca comforting Chloe, and not realizing how she got this lucky herself.


	16. Chapter 16

,,Wake up, DJ! It’s showtime!’’ Beca shot up straight in her bed along with Chloe. They looked at each other and Beca mouthed ‘’shit’’. Amy was knocking on the door impatiently and Beca didn’t know what to do. Amy already thought that they would be together, but it really wasn’t a good idea to tell her. At least not in this... Situation. Chloe tiptoed across the room through gritted teeth, trying not to make it sound like there’s really more than one person in the room, that’s not Kimmy Jin. 

,,Today, Beca! Are you alive?’’ Amy was shouting through the keyhole, Beca watched as Chloe retrieved her clothes and fled into the bathroom. Beca started searching through drawers and hangers, trying to find some normal clothes. ,,I am, Amy! Just one sec. Let me get up for a second.’’ Amy sighed, again, impatiently. ,,You knew that today was the big crushing day! You have to get ready now!’’ Beca frowned and fixed her hair in the mirror. ,,Crushing day?’’ 

,,Well of course! One of the most important days in history, where we will crush the Trebles! I’ll finally show Bumper how good we actually are! Besides that, he has been flirting with me this whole time, trying to get me in bed. I’ll keep playing hard to get if we beat them, though. Make him try even harder.’’ Chloe’s head popped up around the corner, eyebrows raised and her mouth agape, ready to ask Beca about it. Beca gestured for her to be quiet, they might discuss that later. Chloe showed her that she was ready and Beca showed her to go hide in the bathroom with the door locked. She opened the door to reveal Amy, with her hands on her hips. 

,,Thank you Beca, it’s about time. I really need to take a dump.’’ Beca frowned at Amy, who just stood there waiting for Beca. ,,Is that why you wanted me to hurry up?’’ Beca froze in place, trying to come up with an excuse once Amy suddenly brushed past her and tried to open the bathroom door, looking back at Beca once she realized the door was locked. ,,No! I mean... The, toilet... I – is broken. Aubrey and Chloe’s dorm is down the hall, maybe you could go there.’’ Amy cocked an eyebrow and put her hands at her hips again. ,,I don’t believe you, DJ. And Aubrey told me she’d go find the outfits, do you know where Chloe is?’’ 

,,I haven’t seen her.’’ Beca shrugged her shoulders and watched as Amy left the room with squinted eyes, shouting over her shoulder. ,,I’ll take a shit and I want you to get there before me!’’ 

,,Alright...’’ Beca laughed and looked into the hallway to see if Amy left, and heard the bathroom door unlock. Chloe walked toward Beca to look over her shoulder, her hand on her chest, because for a moment she thought Amy would find out about them for sure. 

They both walked down the hallway and toward the entrance of Baker Hall. A few other Bellas stood there talking to each other. It seemed like the only ones missing were Amy, Aubrey, and Stacie. 

,,You girls ready?’’ Beca asked the others, making them turn heads at her. ,,Yeah! I feel nervous, but ready. Where's Amy? She told us she’d go find you both.’’ Chloe shrugged her shoulders at Cynthia-Rose's question. ,,She went to empty her shitpipe.’’ Beca spoke before Chloe could, earning a smack on the arm from the redhead, who had her nose scrunched. 

,,Ew, Bec. Gross.’’ Beca smiled and saw Aubrey in the distance, approaching them with the bag of clothes, and Stacie by her side. She had trouble keeping up with Aubrey, who didn’t look amused. Beca crossed her arms with a smile, which caught Aubrey's eye. She squinted her eyes at Beca and pointed a finger at her, she didn’t have time to say anything. The tall brunette started protesting against their leader. 

,,Why are you so moody? Seriously, I thought you were looking forward to the performance, but it seems like you-’’ Aubrey turned toward Stacie, inches away from her, glaring at her as if she could kill her any moment. The group stopped talking to see what was going on. 

,,I am, but I would’ve been less moody if you just got here in time, and if you weren’t banging that guy!’’ Aubrey pointed at the direction they were coming from, and turned back with her eyes closed, trying to relax. Chloe being Chloe, walked over and rubbed Aubrey’s back trying to comfort her. ,,It’s okay, Aubrey. Relax. We just wait on Amy and then we’ll go. We won’t be late.’’ 

,,I had a good reason for doing it, though. It's stress relieving.’’ Stacie shrugged her shoulders and frowned as Aubrey shot her another death glare. 

,,Unless you get an STD. Or more than one.’’ Everyone turned as Amy joined the circle. Aubrey picked up the bag again and marched away from the group. ,,Let’s go, Bellas! Time to shine!’’ Everyone followed Aubrey. Some Bellas felt way too nervous, while others felt like they could beat the world. 

~~~~~~ 

Amy was seated next to Beca during the trip to the finals. She kept telling Beca weird stories, about boys, school, family, food, the way she took a shit before they left... Anything really, but it all took a weird twist. 

Amy had asked Beca about Chloe multiple times. Chloe was seated next to Aubrey, listening to some music, laughing. Beca felt her stomach flutter hearing that laugh and seeing her shine. She couldn’t believe that she hasn’t told the Bellas about them yet. She wanted to get the finals done first. Aubrey obviously knew that they had kissed, but nothing more... Luckily. Still, Beca wasn’t happy with her knowing about them. She had no idea if she had told Chloe what she knew. She doubted it, because Chloe would have told her. 

The Bellas stared at the entrance of Lincoln Center and watched as people entered the building, some greeting them. She wondered what people would think of her. Amy felt like a celebrity, walking into the building as well, smiling and making sure her hair looked good. 

Beca shook her head at Amy and she noticed that Aubrey started taking deep breaths, along with Chloe. The redhead told her to calm down a little, loud enough for the others to hear. She gestured for Beca to go ahead, they’d catch up later. 

,,What’s with our captain?’’ Amy asked the others, while Beca found out where they had to go. ,,She’s way too nervous. I still don’t get how she got to be the leader of the group.’’ Cynthia-Rose spoke, and shrugged her shoulders. Stacie crossed her arms. 

,,I don’t know, but I also understand why they didn’t tell Chloe to lead the group. She’s too sweet and upset easily.’’ Beca squinted her eyes at Stacie and opened her mouth to comment on that, but Stacie added something to her comment. 

,,I wonder who will be the new leader after today, though. They’ll both graduate after this. This is really their last performance with us.’’ 

Beca hasn’t even realized that yet. Aubrey was a senior, of course, and so was Chloe. The thought of them leaving after today, especially Chloe, broke Beca, but she was quite good at hiding those feelings. She and Chloe have never talked about that. Not because Beca hated thinking about it, but also because they just never talked about it. They wanted to enjoy the time they had with the group without thinking about stuff that could be a bad influence on their performances. 

,,Are you alright, Shawshank?’’ Beca frowned at Amy, then looked at the other Bellas who also stared at her, but she couldn’t hide a smile. ,,Are you gonna keep making up nicknames?’’ 

,,Depends.’’ Amy looked over a smiling Beca’s shoulder to see their leaders approach them. ,,We’re ready, Bellas. Trebles are about to perform. Let's watch them go down.’’ Aubrey suddenly looked confident and swayed her hips as she walked out in front of the Bellas. Beca looked at Chloe, who kept a straight look on her face. 

,,Chloe, can I talk to you for a second?’’ Chloe frowned and was pulled out of her thoughts when Beca suddenly asked her, and then nodded. Aubrey waved them off. ,,Be there in 5. They’ll start by then.’’ Beca nodded and walked into a random hallway where nobody was. She heard Chloe’s breathing go heavier and turned around to look into her eyes, her hands resting on her shoulders. 

,,Chlo, breathe in, breathe out. We will be okay, really. You're a talented girl, I hope you get a confidence boost right now, because we’re going to impress everyone out there.’’ Beca pointed towards the direction of the stage, where cheering came from. Someone introduced the Treblemakers. 

,,Okay... Sorry Becs, I just feel nervous. I’ve never done something this big. This has been my dream for years...’’ Chloe sighed and looked past Beca with a frown and teary eyes. 

,,Okay let’s go.’’ Chloe pressed a kiss against Beca’s lips and then grabbed her hand as they walked towards the stage. Chloe let go of Beca’s hand in a few seconds, realizing that other people could see them. They both reached the other Bellas and Jesse stood there along with the Trebles. A guy handed the Bellas their microphones, and Jesse turned to see Beca. 

He smiled and Beca decided to talk to him before they’re starting. ,,Hey.’’ Jesse stared at her and then back to the Trebles before responding. ,,Hey.’’ 

,,You ready for it?’’ Jesse nodded. ,,I am. What about you?’’ Beca shrugged her shoulders. ,,I’m ready for it, yeah. We’ve been practicing everything in a short time, but it’s all going well. I’m happy to take the lead tonight.’’ 

,,Yeah? I heard you’ve been doing a lot for this performance. I'm glad you were able to convince them with your plans.’’ They both turned their heads at the stage, the other Trebles just ran onto the stage. 

,,Uhm, good luck.’’ Jesse turned back to Beca and made sure his microphone was on. ,,You too.’’ Music started and the other Bellas came to stand by Beca, while Jesse walked onto the stage. 

Amy stopped next to Beca and watched the performance with a lot of attention. Beca noticed a frown appeared on Amy’s face. ,,Where’s that hot piece of cake?’’ 

,,That what?’’ Beca laughed and received an angry face expression from Aubrey. Amy came closer to Beca, realizing she had talked too loudly. ,,Bumper.’’ Beca wasn’t sure either, and shrugged her shoulders. ,,I have no idea, Amy... We’ll do some research after this.’’ 

They didn’t have time to talk much, because the Trebles were nearly done. Beca turned to the Bellas to say something before their final performance starts. Chloe stared at her with a sparkle in her eyes, and Beca fell in love with the look she had on her face. ,,Love you, awesome nerds.’’ 

She turned her attention back on the group with trouble, but it took a second before Amy spoke. ,,Yeah, even though some of you are pretty thin, I think you all have fat hearts, and that’s what matters.’’ 

Beca smiled as the Bellas all got a smile on their faces. Aubrey and her co-leader looked at each other for a second before looking back at Amy. ,,Okay, let’s just smash this okay?’’ 

Beca couldn’t take her eyes off Chloe who had a wide smile on her face, ready to do this. They were announced and welcomed by the audience, and walked onto the stage. They all took positions, and in silence Beca used the pitch pipe, counting down. 

,,Seems like everybody’s got a price, I wonder how they sleep at night...’’ Aubrey starts. Beca scans the audience, where the Trebles are also seated, and she watches as they’re laughing about something. Beca swore that if they were laughing about them, she’ll get back at them. 

,,Everybody look to their left, everybody look to their right...’’ Beca smiled as Chloe sang and went back to being concentrated. She smiled once she noticed how synchronized they were dancing and how good the singing sounded. She hoped the audience thought the same thing. 

,,Hey hey hey hey, don’t you, forget about me.’’ Beca’s solo started and she walked from the back of the stage to the front, passing the Bellas and making eye contact with a winking Chloe for a second. She noticed that Jesse also looked at her. A Breakfast Club song, sung by Beca, was probably cool to him. She just hoped he knew that this wasn’t for him. 

,,As you walk on by, will you call my name...’’ Beca then winked at Chloe before standing in line with the Bellas, dancing together. Chloe couldn’t hide a smile and felt happy with this performance. She couldn’t believe how much of amazing job Beca has done, mostly by herself. 

,,Forget what they say, all the games they play, I want you tonight...’’ Beca looked at Chloe again and Chloe looked back at her, before they continued their performance. Cynthia-Rose started her rapping part and the Bellas danced along with her, receiving a cheering audience again. Beca couldn’t hide a smile when she knew what was about to happen. Amy shot her a look, clearly ready to start the solo she always wanted. 

,,Excuse me, but I might drink a little more than I should tonight...’’ Beca watched as Aubrey danced to her solo, then sang her own part. ,,Don’t you, forget about me.’’ Amy gave Beca a short, bug big smile once she got her solo done, and they were ready to sing the last lyrics of the song. 

,,Don’t you, forget about me, tonight, I will love love you tonight, give me everything tonight.’’ They danced like their lives depended on it, watching the audience stand up, clapping and a lot of them dancing along. They all hugged each other once they finished the song. Beca turned to hug the Bellas, but what she didn’t expect was that their blonde leader hugged her tightly. 

,,Thank you, Beca. I’m sorry that I have been so hard on you.’' Aubrey stepped back and smiled at Beca with teary eyes. ,,I’m thankful for what you’ve done for all of us. You did a great job.’' 

Beca smiled at Aubrey and received a hug from each of the Bellas, until they are being told to leave the stage. ,,Well, that was it for tonight, everyone! We’ll be back shortly with the results of the ICCA finals!’' 

Amy fist-bumped every Bella, until she reached Beca. ,,Shawshank, I swear. The way everyone cheered during my solo was amazing. The proof that the most talented one is Australian, in an American team.’' 

The Bellas started laughing. ,,Good job, Amy. You deserved it.’' Everyone turned to look at Aubrey. Her saying this seemed like a surprise to everyone. ,,I’ve been too hard on all of you. And I feel bad for realizing that now. I’m graduating, and this was my last performance with you all. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.’' 

Everyone looked at each other, some teary, and Beca stared at a proud Aubrey. ,,Hands in, Bellas.’' Everyone moved their hand towards the middle and they smiled as they sang ‘'a’’, as their hands moved up. 

,,I want to thank all of you, too. I’ve had an amazing time with each one of you, and I actually can’t live without this group. I don’t want to leave all of you...’' Chloe’s voice broke and her eyes lingered at Beca for a second before continuing. 

,,If we win this performance tonight... We’ll make history. Thanks to all of you.’’ Chloe wiped her tears away and Aubrey wrapped an arm around her shoulders. ,,Let’s go have a seat. The results will be announced soon.’’ 

The Bellas found their seats in the theater and sat down as someone walked onto the stage, with an envelope. Everyone turned silent and Beca looked aside as a nervous Chloe squeezed her hand, a bit too hard. ,,Sorry, Becs.’' Beca shook her head and Chloe let her hand go. 

,,Today. Today is the day where a talented acapella group will write history, for the first time, or once again. We've watched every group with big interest, and now it’s time to finally announce the winner.’' 

The man opened the envelope carefully and waited a bit too long, the audience started making sounds, and Beca felt like she could faint any second. She could barely handle the nerves. 

,,The winner, of the ICCA finals, is...’' 

Chloe buried her face in her hands and Beca saw that most of the Bellas had their hands folded together, hoping that they’d finally fin. 

,,… The Barden Bellas!’' 

Beca jumped up and tears started falling from her eyes right away. This sentimental side of her was something unusual and rare, but she was happy to share this with the girls. They had been fighting for a good performance, and they sure showed everyone out there that they had quite the talent to impress people. The way they went from boring people to winning the ICCA’s, will definitely become history. 

They all ran onto the stage to receive a final talk and their prize. Beca couldn’t even be concentrated out there anymore, all she could think about was winning the ICCA’s. Making their, especially Chloe’s dream, reality. She glared at Chloe, who was in a crying Aubrey’s arms. They now realized that this really was their last performance. And that thought made Beca cry. 

Amy lifted Beca up, squeezing her and then put her back on the ground again. ,,I knew you’d make us win!’’ She exclaimed, along with some other Bellas. ,,I... Well, I... Uhm...’’ Beca didn’t know what to say, she hasn’t realized their win just yet, and shrugged off the compliments. 

,,We did this as a team. You should see it this way. We couldn’t have done this without each other.’’ Beca received a group hug with the girls once more, and with that, they bowed, hearing the audience applaud. They left the stage shortly after, with a smile that couldn’t be wiped off anymore.


	17. Chapter 17

,,I’m so proud of you, Beca!’’ Beca smiled at her dad, who couldn’t believe that they won the finals a couple days ago. ,,The Barden Bellas have always been the underdog, but you did it!’’ Beca smiled but sighed after heaving the last part. 

,,Dad, we did it together. Not just me.’’ She exclaimed, taking a bite of the pie her dad had baked for their win. She had always loved red velvet cake, but her dad was the best at baking one. 

,,I know, but you’ve guided them. Hey, how is finding a new internship going?’’ Beca shrugged. ,,No idea. Luke hasn’t told me anything yet. I’ll have to go talk to him or something. Maybe he forgot me.’’ 

,,No, of course not! You’ve been doing an outstanding job there at the studio!’’ Beca cocked an eyebrow. ,,Stacking CD’s and doing things like that? Seriously, dad? Every retard can do that.’’ Her dad smacked her arm, a bit too hard maybe. ,,Don’t say that again, Beca.’’ 

Beca rubbed her arm and put her already empty plate back on the table. ,,Sorry, I just want to really produce music... He owns the studio kind of, so there’s no way he would choose me above Jesse, for example.’’ 

,,Well, does Jesse like making music?’’ Beca thought for a second before replying. ,,I don’t think so... He has told me before that he likes my music. It’s not like he heard anything, but he did say it.’’ Her dad burst out laughing again, which made Beca feel a little offended 

,,Okay, well, so go talk to Luke, then. Hey, don’t look at me like that. You know I didn’t mean it like that.’’ Beca closed her eyes for a second and grunted. ,,It just makes me feel so nervous, dad. I want progression.’’ 

,,What does Chloe say about it?’’ Beca felt tears in her eyes and tried to hide them from her dad, but she sniffed and once a tear started following, more followed. Her dad came to sit by her side with a worried look on his face. 

,,She is going to graduate... Man, sorry I don’t want to cry, but I loved this past year. Us in the group together. Her positivity... I just can’t explain how much I hate the fact that she will be leaving Barden University soon.’’ Beca rested her head on her father’s shoulder, feeling him wrap an arm around her, trying to comfort her. 

,,I haven’t talked to her about my internship much, or not even her graduation. I wanted to avoid those subjects.’’ 

,,Maybe you should talk to her about it.’’ 

,,I know dad, but it’s kinda hard, you know?’’ Her dad nodded and she moved to wipe her tears away. 

,,Just take your time. When will the graduation be?’’ 

,,She’ll hear the results today, actually. Graduation will be in a month.’’ Beca grabbed her coat and walked to the front door. 

,,Thanks dad... For everything.’’ 

,,No problem, Bec. That's where I’m here for.’’ He pulled her in a hug and then watched his daughter leave, back to the University. 

~~~~~~ 

,,I can’t believe it!’’ Chloe ended her phone call, which was on speaker. Aubrey was right by her side to listen to it, and she looked in front of her in disbelief. ,,How did that happen? Are you okay?’’ Chloe’s mouth was agape, taking in the news she had just heard. 

,,Yeah... Yeah I am okay.’’ Aubrey stood up and started pacing through the room, breathing nervously. ,,I didn’t expect this.’’ Chloe shook her head and stared at Aubrey, who was getting on her nerves. 

,,Can you just calm down for a bit?’’ Aubrey stopped moving and glared at Chloe. ,,Don’t I have a good reason to feel sad for you?’’ Chloe shook her head. ,,As long as I’m not sad, either.’’ Aubrey frowned at the weird thing her best friend had said. 

,,What did you say? Aren't you feeling sad about this?’’ She looked at Chloe in disbelief and put her hands on her hips. Chloe fumbled with her blanket, trying not to look at Aubrey. ,,Well, this is why...’’ 

She was not sure if she should tell Aubrey this. 

,,I... I just...’’ 

,,Today, Chloe.’’ 

Chloe rolled her eyes before she spoke. ,,I purposely failed Russian literature to stay in the group.’’ She said very quickly, almost inaudible to Aubrey. Chloe looked at Aubrey, who looked rather shocked, blinking her eyes. 

,,You... You didn’t want to graduate?!’’ Chloe shook her head. ,,No... It’s just scary, Bree, and I can’t live without this group... You’ll be gone as well, but I just couldn’t leave just yet...’’ Aubrey finally sighed and came to sit by Chloe’s side. 

,,Chlo... I get it, but I also don’t. Did you do this for a specific person in the group?’’ Aubrey showed a small smile, much to Chloe’s surprise. ,,What do you mean?’’ 

,,Do you think I haven’t noticed the looks you and Beca give each other?’’ Chloe wanted to speak but no words came from her mouth. 

,,Oh my god. You- you know? But how?’’ She started panicking, until Aubrey pulled her in for a hug. ,,Because I’ve known you for so long. I want you to be happy, Chlo. And if Beca is the one, I’m happy for you. I just had some trouble accepting her, because she is way more alternative than girly, and she has quite her own opinion on things. Her, and my personality, don’t click easily.’’ 

Chloe nodded slowly and she could see that Aubrey was speaking the truth. It made her smile. ,,I get it... So you noticed the looks...’’ Aubrey nodded once again, and chuckled. 

,,Well? Potential partner?’’ Chloe shoved Aubrey and blushed before she admitted it. ,,She is my girlfriend already.’’ Aubrey felt her face turn pale, and this time it was her who didn’t know what to say. ,,She’s WHAT?!’’ Chloe silenced her and then burst out laughing. 

,,I already thought you couldn’t believe it... But yeah. A while already, though. You’re the only one who knows from the Bellas. Amy does suspect something, but we haven’t told her yet.’’ Aubrey rubbed her forehead and sighed. ,,Sorry. I feel happy, but I'll have to get used to it.’’ 

,,I get it. But getting back to your question, no... I didn’t purposely fail for Beca. Though I’m glad to stay on the group along with her.’’ 

,,I get it, after all. She has helped us win. I feel proud to finally say, that we won the finals, and that we’re an amazing group.’’ Chloe watched as a tear came from Aubrey’s eye. She knew that this would be hard for her. 

,,Ugh, now I realize that I’ll have to be a grown up after graduation. I hate it.’’ She wiped her tears away and stood up. ,,You’re amazing, Aubrey. You'll have an awesome time. As long as you cheer us on, we’re good.’’ Chloe winked and stood up as well. Time to go for a little walk with her best friend, escaping them from their thoughts. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca had decided to go talk to Luke on the same day. She wanted to know what she could expect. She walked down the sidewalk, trying to calm down. She was almost there when she heard her name being called. ,,Beca!’’ 

Beca turned to see Aubrey and Chloe, both approaching her and smiling widely. Beca thought it was suspicious, and frowned at the sight of them. ,,What’s going on?’’ They came to a stop in front of Beca and looked at each other before speaking. 

,,I told Aubrey that we’re together!’’ Beca’s heart leaped out of her chest and her mouth was agape. ,,Uhm... Was that something you wanted her to know?’’ Aubrey narrowed her eyes and shook her head. ,,There’s no need to say it like that, Beca. I’m happy for you both. It’s not like I believed Bumper, well maybe a little, but I saw the way you two looked at each other and I think that it’s-’’ 

,,You saw what?’’ Beca frowned and smiled as she looked at Chloe. She felt her stomach flutter, she was crazy about Chloe. ,,I just saw the way you look at her and the way she looks at you, during rehearsal. It took me a while to get used to, but I’m truly happy for you both.’’ 

Silence. 

,,Okay... Thank you, is there something else?’’ Aubrey looked aside at Chloe with a serious look, but Chloe never stopped smiling. ,,Oh, yes! I didn’t graduate!’’ Chloe’s smile faded but she didn’t look sad at all. Beca looked at Aubrey who just shook her head. 

,,What? Wait, Chloe... What do you mean you didn’t graduate...? I thought your grades were good?’’ Beca didn’t understand anything anymore at the moment. 

,,I failed Russian literature. I’ll take classes next year. I won’t leave Uni yet.’’ She ran into Beca’s arms, who took a few seconds to hug her back. Beca didn’t know if Chloe was able to stay on the group, they’ll talk about that later. 

,,I don’t know what to say actually... But I’ll talk to you two later, okay? I have somewhere I need to be now.’’ Beca walked back and smiled as she turned, walking into the studio. Luke was sitting in his office with headphones on, bobbing his head to the music that came from the speakers. Beca knocked on the door carefully, then realized that, of course, he couldn’t hear that. 

She entered the room and tapped Luke’s shoulder, who nearly flew out of this chair. He looked aside angrily, into a startled Beca’s eyes. ,,Becky! Don’t scare me like that!’’ he put his headphones back on the desk, trying to catch his breath. Beca stared at him with gritted teeth. ,,Sorry... I just had a question.’’ 

Luke bowed down over his desk again, looking at the tracks and then came back up again. ,,Okay. Ask.’’ He crossed his arms awaiting Beca’s answer, who shifted from foot to foot nervously. ,,I don’t want to look impatient or something, but I was wondering if you have heard something from the producer you’d contact.’’ 

Luke sighed and looked past Beca, then opened his email. He searched through his inbox and kept shaking his head. Beca knew that this wasn’t good news. ,,Nope... Not yet. I’ll call him again later, okay? But believe me, it’s a good producer, but really not what’s best for you. Remember, they’ll see you as an intern.’’ 

Beca cocked an eyebrow and wanted to say something back when he interrupted her again. ,,Not like I doubt your talent, but that’s how things work in life, Becky. I’ll tell you if I hear something.’’ He walked past her and patted her shoulder, but Beca was frozen to the ground. She couldn’t wait to hear more. 

~~~~~~ 

Beca and the other Bellas cheered once Aubrey stood on the platform in her graduation gown. She had been a wreck when getting ready, from what she had heard from Chloe. Aubrey really didn’t want to wear what they had to wear, something no one could change, of course. But still, she wasn’t okay with it. 

,,Why can’t we just pick a nice dress or something, do something awesome with our hair. It's the last day here, ever.’’ She had said dramatically, causing the redhead to burst out laughing. Chloe thought it was rather funny, and just hugged her and told her things would be okay. 

After the ceremony they all went back to campus, enjoying time together. They were walking all together, except for Aubrey who was talking to her parents. She'd come to campus later. Chloe looked stunning, she was wearing a dress ending just above her knees, and wedges. Her hair wavy and perfect. Beca couldn’t wait to have some alone time with her. 

,,We’ll be back. I need to ask Chloe something.’’ The Bellas looked back at them, and watched them leave towards the studio. Chloe giggled once they were out of Bellas earshot and Beca fumbled with the keys to the studio. Everything was closed since the year was over. 

,,What are we doing?’’ Chloe watched how Beca pulled her into the studio and then locked the doors behind them. Beca backed Chloe up against the wall, and came closer to kiss her without saying anything. The kiss deepened right away, and she smiled when Chloe’s hands moved unbutton her blouse, right away. 

She did it slowly, but the kiss never slowed down. She had no words to explain the way Chloe kissed her. Beca's hands moved down to squeeze Chloe’s butt, pulling her closer. Chloe pulled back for a second, looking into Beca’s eyes. 

,,Beca, I want to, but here? Anyone could walk-’’ Beca cut her off with another kiss, panting as she kissed her girlfriend. She wanted to kiss her, and feel Chloe against her. She grabbed Chloe’s hand and scanned the studio. She knew that there was a couch somewhere, but they had moved stuff out of the way. They’d have to prepare everything in a few weeks. But now was not the time to think ahead. 

Beca saw the couch in a corner and hurried toward it. ,,Are you sure that this is a good-’’ 

,,Shhhh...’’ Beca smiled as she silenced Chloe, then looked back once more to check if nobody followed them. She had locked the door they just went through. There shouldn’t be any problems. 

,,This is making me nervous and I like it.’’ Chloe exclaimed, playing with a strand of Beca’s hair as she pulled her down on the couch with her. She shook her head once more. ,,I love you, Beca Mitchell.’’ Beca moved to lie on top of Chloe, kicking her shoes off. ,,I love you.’’ 

Her hand moved down Chloe’s front, her face expression changed from smiling to curiosity. Beca stared into Chloe’s eyes, it almost looked like she stared right through Beca’s. She knew her hand had almost reached the spot where Chloe wanted it, once her eyes turned even more intense and she gasped. 

,,Beca...’’ She sighed, but Beca had a smug grin that couldn’t be wiped off just yet. Her hands rested on Chloe’s inner thigh, not moving up just yet. Chloe sighed and covered her face with her hands. ,,Are you going to continue or do you want me to help you?’’ Her reaction took Beca by surprise. She sure knew what to say now and then. 

She just looked down at the redhead with a smile, moving closer. Chloe's eyes glared down at her lips. ,,Not yet...’’ Beca stopped an inch before connecting her lips with Chloe’s, and then pulled back. Chloe couldn’t wait anymore, and quickly moved to grab Beca’s wrist. 

Beca watched as Chloe guided her hand up further, and into her underwear. She was left with her mouth agape, as a smile formed on the redhead’s face. A blush creeped up Beca’s cheeks as she felt Chloe. The feeling made her breath faster, and she kept watching as Chloe let go of her wrist to pull her underwear down. 

,,I guess I won this time.’’ She winked, and Beca watched as Chloe slightly spread her legs again to make space for Beca. Beca moved her fingertips against Chloe’s opening, and gasped once she felt her. Beca moved closer to kiss Chloe as she pushed a finger inside her, slowly. Chloe had to break the kiss, but moved to kiss Beca again right away, pushing her hips up. 

,,My god...’’ Beca circled her fingers right where Chloe wanted it, and soon she felt her girlfriend relax beneath her. Beca smiled as Chloe pulled her close again, cuddling on the couch for a while. 

,,How are you feeling?’’ Beca asked her girlfriend. Chloe chuckled quietly. ,,I’m feeling amazing. And now it’s my turn.’’ She moved up, but both of them were quiet once they heard a door slam. Clearly one in the studio. ,,Shit.’’ Beca hissed, pulling Chloe up with her, listening to where the footsteps came from. 

,,Hello? Anyone here?’’ She knew that they couldn’t hide anywhere in such a short amount of time. Beca made an attempt to casually lean against the wall, much to Chloe’s joy, and they watched as someone rounded the corner. 

Campus police. 

He noticed the two girls standing there and approached them. ,,May I ask you what you’re doing here in summer break?’’ Beca sighed loudly and glared at the very tall guy. ,,Making sure everything’s ready for the new year.’’ 

He cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms. ,,I don’t buy that. Now leave.’’ 

,,But this is where we, the Barden Bellas, always practice. We’re just preparing stuff for-’’ The tall guy grabbed Beca’s arm and dragged her out of the studio, Chloe following. 

,,Can you let go of her? She can walk on her own.’’ He let go of Beca’s arm and turned to face Chloe. ,,Don’t tell me what to do. Now go.’’ They laughed as they ran from the studio, and back to Baker Hall. 

Beca’s stomach hurt from laughing as she and Chloe reached the hallway to their dorms. Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca’s neck and gave her a long kiss, before walking down the hallway. 

This summer is going to be fun.


	18. Author's note

Hi there!

I want to thank all of you for taking time reading my story. I've had a lot of fun writing this.

Keep an eye on my page. There will be more!

X Tess


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